Side Trails and a Meeting with the LTBMU

Posted: July 2, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Great day today out on the Rubicon side trails.

I started up the Middle Fork Trail (15N38), then down the Red Cabin Trail or upper Barker Meadow OHV Trail (16E79), then across 03-04 to 03-04-12 and up to Ellis. I stopped at Ellis Lake and had lunch on Ellis Peak.

Starting down 16E79 there was a few trees encroaching on the trail. I winched one out of the way and it caught another and two were pulled back.

The TNF was able to cut a tree blocking 03-04 but they left it on the side of the trail. I took the time to pull it back and roll it off the trail.

The only snow I encountered was going into Ellis Lake. By the time you read this and then get out on the trail it will be gone.

There were a few other little logs around and they were easily pulled off the trail.

I took the time to check out Ellis lake and Ellis Peak. If you’ve never climbed Ellis Peak it is a must. Ellis Peak proper is another 100 yards to the north, I didn’t bother. Do not drive the last section of trail. It is NOT an OHV trail. It’s loose, rocky and has NO turn around area at the top.

While at the top, I had lunch.

On the way home, I had a 2:30 meeting with the LTBMU about OHV gates and getting them open in a timely manner. The meeting went very well. No real promises made other than to work together to make our trails safe and to try to open the OHV gates on time.

Emails will be exchanged, maybe a meeting after Labor Day and a tour before winter. Hopefully, by Spring, we’ll have a plan to clear trails before their opening date so the trails can open on time.

.

Rubicon Ronin

Staging Area Partly Blocked

Posted: June 23, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

On my way in to clear trees this morning, I discovered the staging area had a HUGE area blocked off. Last week I posted about a guy calling me about a hazard tree. I thought that would have been taken care of by last weekend. Nope.

The main route is closed. You must go through the staging area.

It seems the Forest Service didn’t want to drop the tree while there were trucks and trailers in the parking lot. Now I didn’t drive out via Rubicon, I exited via Blackwood Canyon. I’m hoping the tree was taken care of today but I very much doubt it.

Now there is still green on that tree. So, I’m not sure what the hurry is all about.

So, if you’re headed up for Rubithon, parking might be tight. There is parking up Forest Road 03 or Blackwood Canyon, but you then need to run Forest Road 03-04 over to the Rubicon. Again, lower Hobbit is blocked by a down tree across the trail.

I have emailed the Forest Service to let them know this is unacceptable and I cc’ed the Rubicon Trail Foundation to help with more eyes on the issue. We’ll see who gets what done.

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Rubicon Ronin

Hazard Trees at Tahoma Staging

Posted: June 18, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | Leave a comment

I just got a cryptic voice mail from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit at 5:55pm on Wednesday the 18th.

They said there are several hazard trees around the Tahoma staging area parking lot that need to be taken down.

Notices are being put on cars currently parked there but if you see flagging blocking part of the parking lot, please respect it.

Tomorrow is a federal holiday so no one will be around dropping trees, but maybe Friday? Hopefully before the weekend.

I’ll post more as I learn more.

.

Rubicon Ronin

LTBMU: the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, or they are not telling the public

Posted: June 17, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

15N38 is open, but it’s a long story…

If you read my previous post, on Saturday I discovered that the FS had failed to open the 15N38 gate by the weekend. Sunday, I was on the Rubicon and made it all the way down to the bridge. See the photo of the month. Monday, I golfed because I do have a life. I did play well, thanks for asking.

This morning, I left early and was at the Lake Tahoe Basin management Unit building at 8:15am.

The lady at the FS front desk, who has been with the FS since the FS was established, told me a story about the FS opening the gate last week, then someone got stuck in a mud hole, did some resource damage trying to get out, through or around that mud hole, that was being fed by a large snow drift on the trail, and the FS had to go in a drag him out. So, the FS closed the gate again and were waiting for the snow to melt and the mud hole to dry up.

(Again, I was told the gate had been closed and was currently closed, waiting for the trail to dry!)

The lady in charge of the gates was not available. I got the Forest Supervisor’s assistant and worked on getting a meeting with him as soon as possible. I left with what I thought was an accurate update about the trail and why it was closed, opened and then reclosed.

I had my new to me used electric mountain bike with me, because I planned on riding up the trail to see where the snow was that I was told about back on the 9th. Now I really wanted to see the snow and the mud hole and the resource damage.

As previously stated, I got to the gate and found it open. Who didn’t tell the lady at the desk? Did the lady at the desk not know, or did she purposely give me bad information? Does anyone at the FS talk to each other?

Going back to her story, the FS does not go out on OHV trails and get people unstuck. Was that whole story bad information or did she lie to me about that?

Let me say that the FS has done quite a bit of tree clearing along the Middle Fork Trail (15N38). It would have taken me forever to get all that work done. It could be cleared back a little more but the trail is easily travelable. I was in my 2012 Colorado. There were many examples along the trail of tree clearing.

I was not able to check the Upper and Lower Hobbit trails, but I was told on Sunday, someone had come through those on a quad. Second hand information, at best

The ONLY snow I found on, or even near the trail, is pictured below. No mud puddle nearby.

There were a few puddles on the trail. And I must point out that those water puddles were at rolling dips that needed their drainages cleared out and then there would be no puddles! Tracks in wet dirt is not a mud hole and not resource damage.

On a lighter note, it is a beautiful trail, if you take the time to look around.

This might have been the first time I put my Colorado in low range. I was a little worried about my sidewalls in one section of the trail but the truck did well.

I will meet with the Forest Supervisor and work out a plan to prevent this from happening in the future.

.

Rubicon Ronin

And the gates are still closed!

Posted: June 14, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Flag Day was spent with the girlfriend in her Corvette. Yes, she has the Corvette and drives fast; I have the Jeeps and drive slow. We had an early, expensive, lunch at Garwoods, with 40 other Corvettes from the Reno Corvette Club, and then drove her Corvette around the lake. Yes, we put on quite a sight when 40 Corvettes run around Lake Tahoe.

Of course, I had to drive up Forest Road 03 to see if the gate on 15N38 had been opened. No, I didn’t drive her Corvette to the gate, that road is a little pitted. It was a nice day for a short hike.

And the gate was closed. I’m not surprised. The FS said they would notify me when the gates were open and I never got a notice.

Surprisingly, the lower gate on Forest Road 03 was open. That road opens tomorrow, and the FS got all over opening that gate so the hikers and cyclists and back country skiers would have timely access. But the OHV gate remained closed. At least with 03 open, wheelers now have a way out to Highway 89.

People are out with their off-highway rigs. I’m not sure if these guys went around the gate or up Forest Road 03.

There was evidence of motorcycles going around the 15N38 gate. I did not see evidence of 4-wheeled rigs going off trail to get around the gate.

As soon as this gets posted, I will be emailing the FS, again.

Phone calls on Monday.

Tuesday morning might find me at the Forest Service office, again.

.

Rubicon Ronin

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