I broke the rules
Posted: June 28, 2023 Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: snow, spring, water Leave a commentI went out on the trail alone, single vehicle, single person.
Yesterday, I went out to check conditions on the Rubicon Trail and the side trails. Up Blackwood Canyon to the north, Forest Road 03 is closed at the second gate just over the river. But the Middle Fork Trail gate is open. I did not explore that trail but I assume you will encounter large snow drifts in the shade. There is a gate at the top but I don’t know if that gate has been opened.
Please note the amount of snow on the trail at lake level! That’s the Middle Fork gate shown open way in the back.
Off to the Rubicon.
There will be a tremendous amount of water on the trail for weeks. This is water bar number 7 (I think) doing a great job of getting the water off the trail.
Snow, snow and more snow still on the trail.
I only got in as far as the pond at the turn for the Ellis Peak Trail. There is a lot of debris on the trail. Small trees across the trail in places. Many encroaching on the trail but not blocking the trail.
The further in you go, the higher you get, the more snow you will encounter.
There are some long stretches of water, snow, ice. No real mud at this point. Some were hardened underneath. This is just past Miller Lake before the turn to Sourdough Hill.
Unfortunately, I found a few spots where people had driven off trail to get around snow drifts. This is not acceptable. “Turn Around, Don’t Go Around”, that’s the motto of this website and should be followed by all. Please don’t be that guy.
The next time I’m on the trail, I will make an effort to block off all of these bypasses as I find them.
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Rubicon Ronin
The 'Other' Rubicon 