Blackwood Canyon parking options
Posted: June 7, 2021 Filed under: Access, Maintenance, Travel | Tags: closure, paving, reroute, staging area Leave a commentWith the staging area closure June 21-25, access will be through Blackwood Canyon to the north about four miles.
The paved parking at Highway 89 is for the Kaspian Campground right there and day users. FYI, that is also a winter park area, permit required during the winter. Blackwood Canyon is a popular snow mobile area. There is OHV parking further up the canyon.
So, about two miles up the canyon, stay right onto the dirt road (15E38), before you go over Blackwood Creek:
At the Blackwood Canyon Campground, there is limited parking, pit toilets and maybe a dozen campsites that require reservations.
The drive up 15N38 is not difficult but you have to pay attention. At the top, there is more parking. This parking is accessible by driving the paved Forest Road 03 all the way to Barker Pass summit.
16E79 is marked with good signage. In this photo, you’re looking down Forest Road 03, the pit toilets for the Rim/PCT is off to the right at the white vehicle, 16E79 is off to the left. The Rim/PCT is visible to the lower left by the sign.
If you choose to take the really easy way to the Rubicon, stay straight on Forest Road 03. In two miles, look for the freshly downed tree on the left, that will be the sign for the left turn you need to take to get on to Forest Road 03-04. And that runs all the way to the Rubicon. 16E76 The Hobbit Trail, will be a right turn off 03-04 and is easy to miss.
There will be an effort to get sandwich sign boards out on the trails to mark the turns needed to do the reroute.
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Rubicon Ronin
Official Rubicon Bypass – update
Posted: August 1, 2020 Filed under: Access, Maintenance | Tags: maintenance, mud, reroute, TNF Leave a commentThe Tahoe National Forest has been back out on the trail to look at the mud hole and the legal and illegal bypasses. Here is a note from Joe Chavez about what was discussed and decided on his latest look at the issue:
On July 29 myself, Will Harris (CA Geological Survey), Vickie and Justin from El Dorado Co. and the Tahoe NF Hydrologist (also the Forest’s Water Quality Act compliance lead and Water Quality Control Board liaison) reviewed the mudhole and bypass, among other items on Cadillac Hill. The Tahoe NF Hydrologist recommended not reopening the mudhole routes and said that it would be better for the wet meadow wetland ecosystem adjacent to the mudhole area to keep the trail out of the wetter flat area containing weak soils and recommended that the mudholes be restored in a certain way to eventually restore the watertable dynamics negatively impacted by the deep trenches. El Dorado Co. mentioned that their OHV Restoration Grant could be used to restore the mudholes if that was determined to be the future course of action. The Forest Hydrologist also recommended adding some specific drainages to the bypass and to add some rock in a few spots. It was also discussed in the field that the Truckee District Ranger will be making the determination on what course of action it will take regarding which route the trail will follow in this area in the short-term, mid-term and long-term (including considering a reroute that would avoid the mudhole area altogether and avoid the potential landslide area above Miller Creek, via an El Dorado Co. OHV Planning Grant). Carol, please correct me if I misrepresented what you said.
Bolding and italics are mine
So far we do not have a timeline for any work being done in that area. The possible major bypass is years away due to studies and paperwork.
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Rubicon Ronin
The 'Other' Rubicon 