Trail Maintenance Notifications
Posted: October 5, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dump truck, maintenance, TNF Leave a commentI received a question about my last post. A reader asked about the Rubicon Oversight Committee (ROC). They wanted to know if the group was still around and if they knew about the current Tahoe side project. That group was formed and run while Vickie Sanders was still working for El Dorado County. It is no longer in existence and nothing has replaced it. The ROC dealt with issues within El Dorado County, The Tahoe National Forst is primarily within Placer County.
I try and post everything I hear about the trail that might affect the users’ experience. I guess I’m not on Joeb Chavez’ email list for notifications.
The Eldorado National Forest has a link on their website to sign up for email notification about general OHV things within their forest.
I’m pushing the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to implement a similar email OHV notification project. Maybe we need to ask the Tahoe National Forest to do the same thing.
The Rubicon Trail Foundation had nothing on their website, but remember this was a short notice item. I know RTF was aware of the planned project but most likely didn’t get prior notice to the work starting.
Friends of the Rubicon would have been notified only if volunteers were needed.
To give credit where due, I came across a post on the Lake Tahoe Hi-Lo’s Facebook page with the quote from Joe Chavez.
For the record, I reached out and learned that the TNF is moving rock to the low spots in the area of Miller Lake with an articulating dump truck. It’s huge. They are taking the long way in, utilizing Blackwood Canyon and Forest Road 03-04. That’s a long haul!
We all need to keep an ear out for anything going on within the OHV world. If you hear something, pass it on!
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Rubicon Ronin
FOTR Tahoe Side Workday
Posted: September 28, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: FOTR, maintenance, work party Leave a commentI will start by apologizing for not getting ANY pictures of the work actually done. There were two work sites. One was further in than I drove, so I couldn’t get pictures, but I completely failed to do before and after pictures at the site I worked. Sorry.
The day began very cool leaving really early from Reno. Truckee did not get any warmer! The heater in my Jeep works fine but becomes very inefficient when the doors and back glass are still removed for summer wheeling. The great news is that Highway 89 has been repaved from 80 south past the turn to Squaw Valley.
Once at the staging area, the group gathered for the morning briefing. The Tahoe National Forest brought their Rubicon Jeep.
As I said before, no pictures of the actual work done.
The first project was to remove some very large boulders from the trail that were previously placed by the Tahoe National Forest. The boulders, between Observation and the Upper Hairpin, did not hold in place and had been moved around by the 1000’s of Jeeps that drove up Cadillac Hill. They had become more of an environmental issue because they caused drivers to spin tires in the dirt, causing the famous “poof” dust that will find its way into the water system.
Many boulders were removed to the side of the trail. Some were relocated around well anchored boulders to create a hardened path for the users. We were told that the Spider excavator that did the original work will be back to rebuild the rock section, in 4-5 years.
The second project was to drop a tree across an illegal bypass that users found through an area that the Tahoe National Forest had worked. Somehow, the users saw the worked area as a place to cut a corner. FOTR went in and stopped that behavior.
Post work party, Paul cooked up a wonderful chili for the crew. There were all the regular toppings and corn bread with or without Jalapeños. Drinks and small dessert snacks were also provided. The Rubicon Trail Foundation funded all of the food and drinks.
I did not do a head count, but Shannon got all the names, as signatures, for matching funds for the grants that pay for most of the trail work. Maybe 20 people, including the cook crew and management. It was the right size for the work that day.
The work crew was hungry after a long day working the trail.
Some of the best news of the day, the handles on the bathrooms were replaced with ones that actually work! We had been asking for repairs for YEARS but it never happened. Before this project, FOTR asked for replacements or parts or whatever was need, so FOTR could do the work and fix the issue. The Forest Service never got back to anyone, but when we showed up, the handles had been replaced. Thanks you Forest Service.
There is more to do on the Tahoe side but I don’t know if anything will be planned before the snow flies.
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Rubicon Ronin
Paving the Rubicon!
Posted: June 16, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: maintenance, rock, step Leave a commentOkay, that was a cheap tactic to get you to read this article. The Rubicon Trail was not paved but a bypass was rock lined to prevent erosion and ensure safe travel.
Again, let me be clear, this is a bypass, not the original route of the Rubicon Trail. The original route remains untouched, somewhat difficult but very doable.
The area in question I know as “The Step”, because it is one HUGE step. Others refer to it as “Birthday Cake” because you can see a mountain top that looks like a flat top cake with candles (trees). Yesterday, for the first time, I heard it referred to as “The S-Turn”.
“The Step” is one of a few named obstacles on the Tahoe side. And named many different things.
The original route runs right down the middle. It’s one large step, obviously. That’s the ‘most difficult’ route. It’s not really that hard. To the south (right) is the newest route and it’s the ‘intermediate’ route. There are a few lines through it. It’s never been my favorite. To the north (left) is the ‘easy’ route. It’s been around for some time and for decades provided a route for those coming out broken or towing a trailer.
Birthday Cake…as seen from The Step.
I moved ten loads of rock from the local area to the hole at the bottom of the northern most route at The Step. Okay, they were half loads. It gave me more time to rest between loads.
Over time, the easy route has been flooded and washed out, creating another step, but smaller than the namesake of this area.
Some years ago, I witnessed a rig get flopped on its side while being towed up the easy route. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to get out there and fix it. The flop was more the result of a towing error, but the difficulty of the route needed to be dealt with.
I forgot to take a good picture of the before. Here is was a few weeks ago, filled with water.
Here’s the one picture I took right before I unloaded the first trailer of rock.
Here’s what ten (half) loads of rock looks like.
Once I got to the site and started moving rock, I noticed some tracks cutting the corner. It wasn’t until a guy in a Jeep cut the corner right in front of me, that I figured I needed to do something. I called him out about not staying on the trail and he said it was a rental and it was his first time on the trail. Who rents a guy a Jeep and says go drive to Rubicon Springs?
So…I moved some trees.
This is the approach to the area from the east. Trail is to the left of the small tree. Tracks were cutting the corner to the right.
Dragged a third just to make sure they stayed on the trail.
Coming from the west, people were driving straight through the easy route, up the ledge. Hopefully, that tree lets them know that is not the correct route. (It’s off to the right) Note all the newly placed rock in hole before the granite. I moved two more loads after that photo.
It was a long but very satisfying day.
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Rubicon Ronin
2026 FOTR Meeting this month
Posted: March 1, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AAT, adopt-a-trail, FOTR, maintenance Leave a commentI just got the official word from Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) about the 2026 planning meeting…
Saturday, March 21st, 10am, Placerville
Hello Friends of the Rubicon!
We’re thrilled to announce our Friends of the Rubicon Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 21st, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at:
American Legion Post 119
4561 Greenstone Rd
Placerville, CA 95667We’ll be discussing key projects on both the Tahoe and El Dorado sides of the trail, as well as FOTR and Adopt-A-Trail collaboration for the 2026 season.
We’re thrilled to announce our Friends of the Rubicon Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 21st, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at:
I would like to extend a special invitation to all Adopt-A-Trail clubs to attend and share your input on the future of the program. We welcome your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve moving forward. There are also sections of trail currently in need of a steward, if your club is interested.
We will also be holding an election for FOTR Trail Boss. If you would like to run for Trail Boss, please let me know in advance so we can include your name on the agenda. If you have any questions about the position, feel free to reach out directly at fotrtrailboss@gmail.com.
RTF will be providing lunch, so please RSVP to help us with a headcount.
Important: The American Legion has requested that there be no alcohol at the meeting or in the parking lot. Please respect their wishes.
Please bring your ideas, questions, and suggestions — we look forward to seeing everyone there!
Thank you,
Shannon Chard.
This is your opportunity to speak out about what you would like to see done with the Rubicon Trail and to step up and volunteer to help maintain the Rubicon Trail
The main project for the Rubicon Trail this season is to build a bypass around some very wet sections of trail and to bypass the shelf road above Miller Creek. I’m sure that the Rubicon Trail Foundation (RTF) will be on hand to answer any questions you many have about this project.
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Rubicon Ronin
TNF’s VIRTUAL Open House for OHV Grant ideas
Posted: February 5, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: funding, maintenance, reroute, TNF, USFS Leave a commentEvery year, each national forest applies for funding through a grant program. These forests are required to seek user/public input in order to qualify for these funds.
Sadly, these forests are not required to follow the input of the users when writing the final grant application. But we do the dance in case our particular forest does listen to our input.
The Tahoe National Forest is currently in the driver’s seat regarding the Rubicon Trail and the Fordyce Trail, among many others. It is in our best interest to give our input. The details of how to do that are below. Once the draft grant application has been filled out, there is a public review period. It’s better to get your ideas in before that initial draft than try and get them in afterwards.
There is a needed Rubicon reroute that should get funded through this grant and there may be MAJOR Fordyce work funded through this grant but more likely just Fordyce planning funds.
This year it seems the USFS is still in a covid lockdown as they are only doing a “VIRTUAL” open house.
So, here’s the info…
Tahoe National Forest invites public to provide input on annual off-highway vehicle program grant application
Tahoe National Forest is preparing its annual application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, to request funding for trail and facilities maintenance, law enforcement and education and safety. The forest invites interested individuals and organizations to a virtual open house on Feb. 13 to learn more about the state OHV grants the Tahoe National Forest is considering applying for and how to provide input.
What: Open house to discuss Tahoe National Forest annual OHV grant proposals Where: Virtual, join on Teams
When: Feb. 13, 2025, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Annual state OHV grants provide important funds for the U.S. Forest Service to develop and maintain trails and trailheads, repair winter storm damage and restore trailside environments, as well as provide patrolling, education and monitoring of OHV areas. When finalized, the grants will be available for public review and comment on the State of California’s website ( http://ohv.parks.ca.gov ) from March 4 – May 5, 2025.
Questions, comments or letters can be submitted through the following ways:
- In-person: During the virtual open house meeting via written comments
- Email: Trails Program Coordinator Joe Chavez, joe.chavez@usda.gov
- Mail: Tahoe National Forest, Attn: Joe Chavez, Forest Trails Program Coordinator, 631 Coyote St., Nevada City, Calif. 95959
Feedback on projects and grant opportunities is requested by Feb. 24, 2025.
