Long Lake campsite

The Lake Tahoe Hi-Lo’s have adopted the Long Lake Trail (16E12) since it was officially recognized by the USFS in 2014. Since 2011, we have been working with the USFS by bringing FS personnel out there and doing trail maintenance to the point they would accept it, including removing an outhouse and hardening a seasonal creek crossing.

There is a campsite off the trail about halfway down the trail. It is a sharp U-turn to the left and brings you right down along the Rubicon River. This campsite is great for larger groups and offers a quiet change of pace from Rubicon Springs.

Here is the hard left U-turn:

Looking down the campsite, the Rubicon River on the right:

Unfortunately, some people have tried to make this a drive through site by driving off trail, down a granite slab and through a marsh (in spring time). The Forest Service will not allow this ‘through route’.

This was one of three turns off the Long Lake Trail in to the back of the campsite:

This is the ‘backdoor’ in the campsite that in the spring time is a wet muddy marsh:

The Hi-Lo’s have now blocked the ‘through route’ several times. This time we added 4×4 posts with signage explaining the campsite boundary and the possible consequences if the off trail driving continues.

There is now no mistaking this as a possible route to the campsite:

Within the campsite, we added some educational materials to the 4×4 posts:

Having the campsite as a one way in/out is much nicer than a through route. I wouldn’t want anyone driving through my camp at 1am trying to figure out where the actual trail runs.

Also, please note that the trail is only 0.91 miles long. It ends before a 90 degree right turn, an extremely steep climb up a granite slab and another 90 degree left turn; which leads to a boulders strewn seasonal waterfall.

Driving past the recognized end of the trail could result in fines.

Although I do not promote or support driving off trail, the Long Lake Trail is not well defined past the campsite. There are easy routes and extreme routes to get to the end of the trail.

When driving the Long Lake Trail at night, please be extremely cautious. There are steep drops all along the trail. It’s best to have someone walk the trail in front of your rig in order to prevent accidents.

Link to a Photo Journal of the Long Lake Trail.

All I ask is that you always Tread Lightly!

• Don’t drive over bushes
• Don’t leave oil spills on the granite
• Use a WAG bag when camping on granite slabs
• Don’t spin your tires so much you leave marks on the granite
• Leave a clean camp
• Make sure your fire is out cold (Have fires only when restrictions lifted)
• Keep the music down after 10pm
• Pack-it-in, pack-it-out
• Respect other campers

This trail has something for everyone. As long as we respect the trail and each other, we will all be able to enjoy it.

Rubicon Ronin