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Planned Trip : The RUBICON ! June 2009 Dates TBA later
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THIS IS A JEEP ONLY EVENT LIMITED TO MEMBERS OF THE JEEP EXPEDITIONS GROUP !
Scheduled for 1 week in June TBA, 2009.
The Rubicon ! A Jeep "Mecca" and a must do at least once !
Summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California between Georgetown and Lake Tahoe belongs to us, the 'crawlers'. Those who are not 'one of us', do not understand the lure of the rocks. Prepare yourselves.... prepare your vehicles.... this is the Rubicon trail.
Rubicon is perhaps the most well known and most traveled four wheel drive trail in the world. It is rated a 'Most Difficult' 10. Elevations average 6-7,000 ft. Climate is typical of high mountains as temperatures may be hot during the day, but can get chilly at night. The scenery is spectacular though you will most likely spend most of your time dodging boulders. Rubicon country is serious four wheeling country. Keep in mind though that you are likely to also see mountain bikers, ATV's, and backpackers as well. Each Summer, a few thousand rock crawling enthusiasts descend upon this trail to challenge themselves and their vehicles. Many of those are locals, who have done the trail backwards and forwards, in sunlight and after dark, and know every nook and cranny of this trail. Many too, are those from out of the area. They are first-timers and return visitors. Rubicon is an annual pilgrimage for some.... to the Mecca of rockcrawling.... to pay homage to the rock gods.... to push themselves and their vehicles to the limits.
THE TRAIL
Rubicon can be completed in two days, but three is recommended. One night's stay at Spider Lake and one night at Buck Island Lake is most common. Both offer decent fishing. The bait of choice is POWER BAIT, though worms seem to work as well. Bottom fishing seems to yield the best results. None of our group's anglers were able to hook anything with lures. The water in Spider is mild enough for a nice swim, and a nice campsite will yield some rocks for jumping and sunbathing (you might be able to set up a tree swing with a pull strap).
A great place to camp the night before you begin your rock crawling expedition is at Bassi Falls off of Icehouse Rd. The Bassi Falls entrance is unmarked so ask for directions from a ranger station on how to find this beautiful little canyon. The camping is free and you won't find any crowds up there. IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to legally have a campfire or even operate a flame burner stove any where in the Rubicon area, you must obtain a fire permit. The permits are available at ranger stations and are free of charge. If you are inclined to grumble about this.... view the devastation on your first 10 miles of Icehouse Rd. What was once beautiful forest, is now barren wasteland. Our entire group drove in complete silence thru this area. There was no joking or chit-chat, the devastation was simply too disturbing. Be careful.
The Rubicon trail is open to all vehicles most of the year and requires no fees or permits to run. The camping is free as well (except for Rubicon Springs). The Jeepers Jamboree closes down the trail one weekend a year and occasional trail repairs may close things down for a short while as well. Info on this can be obtained at the Georgetown Ranger Station (916) 333-4312. This is a trail recommended for short wheelbase 4x4s. However, a recent group ran it with two full-sized pickup trucks and an older model Grand Wagoneer (they had lots of clearance and lockers though). The tightest and most difficult sections do offer bypasses so the big rigs can get through the trail. On this most popular of trails you will see Suzukis, Toyotas, Jeeps, P'ups, everything.
Many of you may have heard that the Rubicon no longer offers challenge. That it has been made easy by the passage of near-stock vehicles over the years. False! The Rubicon is what you make it. To avoid damage, be sure to stick to the bypasses. For hard core crawlers.... there is no disappointment. For your stock daily driver, do not expect to bring it home without lots of damage and breakage…..if you can make it home at all !
The trail can be run in both directions, though the most common route is from West to East. Two main entrances are found on the East side from Icehouse Road. If your game is to protect the vehicle you love, take some mild challenges, and admire the scenery, you should begin the trail at Loon Lake. The Loon Lake entrance will take you across granite slabs reminiscent of Moab slickrock domes. The slabs are fun with some short steep sections and ledges, but nothing too scary.
If you have driven a long way to get to the Rubicon and want every bit of the Rubicon there is, opt to enter through Wentworth Springs. After leaving Icehouse Rd., follow the signs to Wentworth. The trail winds up to some cabins and a small picnic area. Past this.... lock em' up. Rubicon starts immediately. Your first major obstacle after a short rocky incline is the Devil's Postpile. It can take over an hour to get 10 vehicles through this 50 yard section of trail. Long wheelbase vehicles will slow you a bit, but should make it through with only minor damage.
Following the Postpile, the trail intersects with the bypass from Loon Lake. The main trail then heads directly up the slabs. It is difficult to get lost as tire tracks from the thousands who have gone before show the way. Here you can opt for the more challenging route. Instead of following the main track up the slabs, look for the lesser traveled trail that branches right and traverses across the slabs a bit more. This will take you to the V-Rock. If you can pick your line well, you should walk right through this obstacle. Carelessness or the incorrect line, will yield something locals call "fat air". Meaning, tires reach for the sky.
From the top of the slabs, the Rubicon winds through the trees and up some challenging little hills named after early adventurous wheelers. You must pay attention on this trail though.... a Scrambler recently got a little careless with his line and rolled over on a seemingly harmless stretch. The first real sticky obstacle lies about 1/4 mile from the bottom of Little Sluice. This optional route is named Tin Can Alley. Recognizable as a rock face on your left that looks like something only crazy men would try.
Perhaps the most bypassed and exciting section of the Rubicon is the Little Sluice. The large rocks that stand guard at the entrance, let you know you have arrived. On weekends, crowds will gather on the rocks around the Sluice to cheer, jeer, watch, and admire. If you travel this route.... you must expect damage. Bring a group through... and expect breakage. It is not uncommon for a group of 5 or 6 vehicles to take over an hour to get through the first 10-20 yards of the entrance to the Little Sluice. The Sluice changes every year. Some years the line was on the right side as the left was impassible. Some years the opposite will be true. For a challenging bypass, take the next trail to the left. Beware, a good spotter may save you from a roll on this bypass. For a still easier bypass, keep driving left until you find a route you are comfortable with.
As mentioned earlier, Spider Lake is a great place to camp, fish, and swim. When you begin the next portion of your journey (to Buck Island Lake), be sure to let the more adventurous in your group play on Thousand Dollar Hill. Thousand Dollar reminds some of Potato Salad in Moab and will quite nerve wracking in a short wheelbase. Longer wheelbase Scrambler boys even got some good tire air on this hill. From there you wind down toward Buck Island Lake. There are two main routes to Buck Island. The "slabs" branch off to the left and will scare you with their off-camber pitches. An inclinometer will indicate a fairly consistent tilt of between 20 and 30 degrees.
The other route, and a favorite, is thru the True Big Sluice. This section of trail is relentless. One boulder after the other reaches out to smash your rocker panels. Do not take your eyes off of the trail and place your thumbs outside the steering wheel (or take a chance on breaking them.... I'm serious). Once again, the shorter your wheelbase, the easier this section is. Some have deemed this the Rock Garden and it is beautiful in full bloom. Some run it both ways and love every metal mashing minute of it!
Buck Island Lake offers better fishing than Spider, though it is too cold to swim in (unless you're a member of the Polar Bear Club). Stop before the dam and check out the manmade tunnel for Buck Island's outlet to Loon Lake. It is 2 miles long and you can sometimes see daylight from the other end. When you cross the dam.... take it a little bit to the right. Take it too far to the left and you will get stuck like an upside down turtle. .. wheels in the air on either side as your frame will be nestled firmly on the narrow concrete dam.
From Buck Island you head up the boulder strewn hill to the Big Sluice on the other side. This is the only sluice that cannot be bypassed. Full-sized rigs will struggle a bit here as a result. Longer wheelbase and trucks will have to make a couple of 20-point turns on the way down. Enjoy the rock surfing and don't be afraid to call for a spot in a few places where the trail is narrow and tilts you toward the cliff. The "pucker factor" will be substantial for many along there.
After leaving the sluice, cross the bridge and enter Rubicon Springs. One word.... DUST. This stuff is like moon dust. It is finer than imagineable and is inches deep on the trail. An easy footstep will yield a cloud of dust here. Move along a little further and check out the collection of broken axles, gears, and other 4x4 parts along side the trail from folks not as lucky as you. Your last obstacle? Cadillac Hill. So named for the old Cadillac found up toward the top of the Hill. All that remains after years of scavenging are the chassis and some drivetrain components. Cadillac is a long tough hill with some sections of loose rock and a few hairpin turns. Most of it is one vehicle wide, though some groups come in this way. Remember.... uphill has the right-of-way. We were held up for two hours as a Wrangler in the group in front of us underwent some repairs. Such is the way of the Rubicon. Don't get grumpy if you have to wait.... just be glad it wasn't you. At the top of Cadillac is an open table top bluff with a breathtaking view of the trail. This is a great place to line up the vehicles for group photos before your final stretch of (dusty) trail home. From this view point, you have about 45 more minutes before you hit Lake Tahoe.
The Rubicon can and does take its toll on vehicles.... especially those who decide not to bypass the challenging obstacles. On a recent trip by one group the final damage tally came to 2 shredded tires, several smashed truck beds, twisted bumpers, damaged pumpkins, various body smashes and bends, and a broken traction bar for the full sized boys. And a couple broken U-joints, a toasted starter, a rollover, an arced and dead Optima, a broken transfer case mount, broken engine mount, and some body bumps and bruises for the rest of them.
Some final words: If you plan on campfires... get a permit and bring your own firewood. Thousands of campers every year have stripped the ecosystem of deadwood, fallen branches, and dead standing trees. TREAD LIGHTLY!.... trail closures are happening everywhere and the Rubicon is definitely on the Sierra Club's hit list. Disassemble your road construction.... this trail should be as challenging for the last guy thru at the end of the year as it was for the first guy thru in the Spring. Be prepared.... breakage is common. Challenge yourself, but also know your limits and keep the rubber side down.
http://www.jeepexpeditions.org/trip_reports/the_rubicon_2009.php
Visit the Photo Gallery for plenty of pictures of our other Expeditions:
http://www.jeepexpeditions.org/photo_gallery/index.php
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