There’s Still Snow!
Posted: June 1, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: access, gates, snow, trees Leave a commentThe plan was to go in through Blackwood Canyon and up the Middle Fork Trail (15N38) and clear trees to the summit. If we had time, we were going to head down the Red Cabin Trail (upper hobbit/Barker Meadow OHV Trail, 16E79) and then down the actual Hobbit Trail (16E76).
Well, the gate at the bottom of Forest Service Road 03 was still locked. Long story for later. So, we headed over to the Rubicon to go around the back way.
When we got to the intersection of the Rubicon and Forest Road 03-04, we took 03-04 toward Barker Pass. It wasn’t too long before we found trees that needed attention. This is actually the third tree we removed. The first was on the Rubicon and people had stacked rocks to get over it!
Some were so rotten, we just pulled them to the side. So many times I forgot to get out the camera.
This one took some rigging for the winch to be able to pull it to the side.
As we got around the north side of Ellis Peak, the snow became deeper. The snow wheeling was actually pretty fun. The snow kept traction as long as you were going stupid slow.
We made it past Bear Lake but the northern aspect protected the snow and it was becoming quite a side hill.
Here is the guy in front of me dropping down the last hill we went down.
We finally came to a downhill section we decided we didn’t want to crawl back up. We turned around and headed home. The side hill was pretty steep right here but it doesn’t show.
We never made it over to any of the three trails we were trying to get to. I will be looking into the situation with the locked gates.
On the way out, We stopped at the Rubicon intersection and met two side-by-sides going out 03-04. They were locals who had been clearing trees on a bunch of side trails for the last three weeks! Awesome.
I need to thank Stan and John for hanging out today. Always safer with others. Maybe we’ll get out next week and clear more trails.
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Rubicon Ronin
Meeting thoughts
Posted: May 28, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: parking, staging Leave a commentSo, the public meeting about the possible expansion of the Tahoma staging area at the Rubicon Trail took place this afternoon. The turn out was moderate to low. But considering the extremely short notice, I think the turnout was pretty good.
This project is in its infancy. They need to finalize the details, do the environmental studies, get everything back before the public, again. Plan by the end of this year? Studies during 2026? Grant application? Construction in 2027?
Here’s an aerial picture they had of the proposed area for the expanded parking area. Current parking on the left, proposed parking on the right. The new area is towards the bridge.
Not the best picture but it appears that the new area are specifically designed for rigs with trailers to pull in, circle around and then pull straight out on to the road back to Tahoe.
Any ideas on how to improve the parking area, parking in general, how to minimize the effects of the traffic are all welcome.
The closing of the old ATV dirt parking area is also a possibility. I kept saying, if you give it up, you’ll never get it back. The new manager of Adventure Mountain Lake Tahoe (the old ATV rental guys) says they’re starting up again. Not sure where they will be parking and operating from.
I found it funny and flattering that the pictures of how not to park were taken from my website. That’s my Jeep in the lower right picture. (parked legally)
We will all need to stay on top of this project.
Stay tuned.
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Rubicon Ronin
Rubicon Meeting Tomorrow!!!
Posted: May 27, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: meeting, Placer, staging area Leave a commentLet me start by being pissed off about the extremely short notice of this meeting.
I only learned of this ten minutes ago. It appears to be posted to the Rubicon Trail Facebook page two hours ago. Even the Placer County page has it being posted today. The El Dorado County changed the page I referred to in a previous post.
Here is the added paragraph to the El Dorado website:
Planning consultant (NCE) will be hosting a public meeting for this project on May 28, 2025 from 5pm-7pm at the Granlibakken Lodge in Tahoe City to solicit community feedback on the proposed project and to answer any potential questions the public may have.
From the Placer County website:
Popular Rubicon Trailhead in North Lake Tahoe to undergo expansion; community meeting scheduled for May 28
Published May 27, 2025El Dorado County, Placer County and NCE, a local engineering firm, have scheduled a community meeting for Wednesday, May 28, to discuss improvements to the Rubicon Trail staging area in Tahoma.
The Rubicon Trail is a highly valued off-highway vehicle recreational trail that passes through both El Dorado and Placer counties. It is located on land managed by El Dorado National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and includes private properties.
The Rubicon Trail has three major trailheads. El Dorado County maintains the Loon Lake and Wentworth Springs trailheads, while the Tahoma staging area is within Placer County.
“Currently, when the parking lot is full at the Tahoma staging area, parking will spill along the access road, which can lead to overcrowding and resource damage to the adjacent lands,” NCE Associate Scientist David Rios said. “Overflow parking further encroaches into nearby residential areas when the lot and road are full, so this project is designed to prevent those issues and help us create an experience we can all enjoy.”
The Rubicon Trail Parking Lot Expansion project aims to improve safety, reduce neighborhood impacts and enhance access to this popular destination. The project is slated to include 32 – 34 additional trailer parking spaces at the Tahoma staging area on the Lake Tahoe Basin side of the trail by adding 35,140 square feet of new pavement. Following the expansion, shoulder parking would be prohibited to reduce the spillover.
“These trailhead improvements not only contribute to better recreational access, they help mitigate soil erosion and parking overflow as well,” Placer County’s Tahoe Engineering Manager Seth Warren said. “This trailhead is one of several being improved in the county over the next few years, including the Lower Sawtooth and Ward Creek trailheads.”
The project may also include a natural surface trail, parallel to the roadway, to provide alternative pedestrian access from the nearby Tahoma neighborhood, provided there is enough public interest.
Members of the public can provide their input on the project by:
- Attending the public meeting on May 28, 2025, at Granlibakken Resort (725 Granlibakken Road, Tahoe City). The meeting will take place from 5-7 p.m.
- Click here to take an online survey about the project
- Or call the El Dorado County Parks & Trails Division at (530) 621-5360 and leave your input with staff
The NCE project team will complete technical studies to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed project and those studies will be made available for public review. A second public meeting will be held to solicit feedback on the project and potential environmental effects at a later date.
I’m going to try and make it, although I had other plans.
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Rubicon Ronin
Another Beautiful Snow Run
Posted: May 17, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: snow, water, winter Leave a commentMay 17, 2025. 43 degrees. Overcast. 9am start. Seven rigs. Awesome day!
The climb out of staging is clear.
There is still a ton of water on the trail. If you go, please Tread Lightly! and stay on the trail.
As you climb, you will find lots of snow. It will be around for probably two or three weeks. Memorial weekend will probably be chaos with too many people trying to get out. We were out at 9am and half the group turned around at 1pm. The first rig we saw was at 1:30 on our way out.
The snow drifts and the way they melt shifted us to the side of the trail a number of times. Many off camber sections.
We did cut a few trees from the trail. We drove over a few that we didn’t have time to deal with.
I failed to take a picture of the largest tree we cut and winched off the trail. Carry a saw as there will be more trees to deal with as the snow melts and there was at least one widow maker that could come down at any time.
We got to the Arizona (concrete) crossing just west of the Ellis Peak Trail at the pond. The group split here and three rig continued on for another hour of so; the other four of us turned back.
Here is as far as most of the group got. If you’re wondering, that’s “Space Junk”. It’s got a front wheel drive engine mounted sideways, no transfer case, no low range and works really well. He did make it up the ledge, as did many of us, but most turned around as we were done.
Here is the pond on the way out. Really slushy snow driving out in the afternoon.
No real issues on the trip. Yes, a few people needed a strap. At the end of the day, I realized I had forgotten to reload my air hoses. Oops. Thankfully, I was with friends who shared theirs with me.
And the bathrooms at staging had been opened, cleaned and stocked.
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Rubicon Ronin
Rubicon Survey About Planned Parking Expansion
Posted: May 15, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: access, edc, parking Leave a commentI just got an email from El Dorado County (EDC) about a planned parking area expansion on the Tahoe side. Going to their website, you can get the same info. From the EDC website:
Take this Rubicon Trail Survey to let us know what you think about the proposed Rubicon Trail Parking Lot Expansion Project at the Tahoma staging area in the Tahoe Basin. The deadline for the survey is Friday, June 13, 2025, and will take less than 5 minutes to complete. Click here to learn more about the Rubicon Trail Parking Lot Expansion Project.(PDF, 173KB)
Here is the project description from NCE from the “learn more” link. NCE is an engineering firm with seven offices including Reno and Lake Tahoe.
Title: Rubicon Trail Parking Lot Expansion Project
Preliminary Project Description:
The Rubicon Trail is a highly valued off-highway vehicle recreational trail that passes through both El Dorado and Placer counties. It is located on land managed by El Dorado National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and includes private properties. El Dorado County has easements from the El Dorado National Forest and private property owners; however, no easements exist for the portion of the project in Placer County.
The Rubicon Trail has three major trailheads or access points. El Dorado County maintains the Loon Lake and Wentworth Springs trailheads. The Tahoma staging area, or access point, is within Placer County. Currently, when the parking lot is full at the Tahoma staging area, vehicle parking will occur along the road shoulder, which can lead to overcrowding and resource damage to the adjacent lands. Overflow parking further encroaches into nearby residential areas when the lot and road are full.
To address this issue, the Rubicon Trail Parking Lot Expansion Project would provide expanded parking at the Tahoma staging area on the Tahoe basin side of the trail. Disturbance would occur on approximately 0.91 acres and include 35,140 square feet of new paving. This will provide an additional 32-34 trailer parking spaces. There is also a desire to decommission and restore the existing small staging area along Rubicon Trail (1.25 miles northeast of the parking lot expansion area). Shoulder areas would be closed to parking. Additionally, the project team would like public input on the community’s interest in and/or concerns about a natural surface trail, parallel to the roadway, to provide alternative pedestrian access from the neighborhood to the Tahoma staging area.
The project team will complete technical studies to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed project. The technical studies will be made available for public review, and a public meeting will be held to solicit feedback on the project and potential environmental effects prior to completion of required environmental documentation.
I’m assuming that the expansion would be behind the current kiosk, further up the trail. But again, I am only guessing as no map has been distributed yet.
The other portion of this proposal is to eliminate the lower dirt parking area once used by the ATV rental company. At the moment, I am opposed to eliminating this area. Once gone, it will never come back. A much further and deeper conversation needs to take place before I let that area go. Those visitors wanting to walk dogs or skate the paved section use this section without having to drive all the way to the staging area. It would also allow an option to parking in the residential area.
The last item is the construction of a natural surface trail parallel to the current paved section of McKinney Rubicon Springs Road. This is something I have suggested before. It would (should) eliminate any conflict between motorized and non-motorized users of the area. Think of it like a sidewalk on any road in the country. Hopefully, it would be designed, constructed and maintained for year-round use.
Here is a copy of the actual survey:
The Rubicon Trail is a highly valued off-highway vehicle recreational trail that passes through both El Dorado and Placer counties. It is located on land managed by El Dorado National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and includes private properties.
The Rubicon Trail has three major trailheads or access points. El Dorado County maintains the Loon Lake and Wentworth Springs trailheads. The Tahoma staging, or access point, is within Placer County. Currently when the parking lot is full at the Tahoma staging area, vehicle parking will occur along the access road shoulder, which can lead to overcrowding and resource damage to the adjacent lands. Overflow parking further encroaches into nearby residential areas when the lot and road are full. To address this issue, the Rubicon Trail Parking Lot Expansion Project would provide expanded parking at the Tahoma staging area on the Tahoe Basin side of the trail.
Please answer the following survey questions to help us understand what thoughts you may have, if any, about this proposed project:
Which option below best describes your living status:
Full-time Tahoe Basin resident, Part-time Tahoe Basin resident, Visitor, Other
Do you live within 3 miles of the Tahoe staging area?
Yes, No
How frequently do you visit the Rubicon Trail?
Weekly, Monthly, A few times per summer, Annually, Other
What season do you visit the Rubicon Trail?
Summer, Winter, Fall, Spring
What means of travel have you used to access the Rubicon Trail?
Off-highway-vehicle, Walking, running, or hiking, Biking, Other
Is a natural surface trail, parallel to the roadway, to provide alternative pedestrian access from the neighborhood to the parking area, an improvement you would like to include in the project?
Yes, No
Do you have any concerns about the project? Please select the option that best fits:
Emergency Access/Response, Private Property Concerns, Environmental, Other
Please provide any additional comments to expand on the previous question
(1000 words or less)
The survey takes no time at all. I’m questioning the local aspect. Does it matter where you live or for how long you’re there?
I took the survey and here’s why, if you don’t voice your opinion when it matters, you should complain later if it doesn’t go your way.
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Rubicon Ronin
The 'Other' Rubicon 