Side Trail Conditions…
Posted: June 2, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: access, snow Leave a commentI was asked about side trails: Buck Lake, Richardson Lake (Sourdough Hill), Ellis, etc. I have not personally been out on those yet.
The people I referred to in the last post about locals getting out in the side-by-sides and clearing trees said they had been on and had “cleared” all of the side trails. Sourdough will have one or two sections with nasty side hills. They said Buck does have a very side hill section before the rocky climb just above the lake. Ellis always has snow later in the season.
Some of the “clearing” they had done was before the last big snow melt. That melt exposed tress we cleared out yesterday. Who knows what’s out there. This time of year you should carry a saw , of some kind, and be prepared to winch trees out of the way.
“Turn Around, Don’t Go Around!”
They were in a well-built set of side-by-sides. I would expect that a street legal rig would have a much more difficult time traversing the snow, especially a side hill snow drift.
The snow will melt very fast. Two weeks will make a HUGE difference.
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Rubicon Ronin
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
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
Springtime wheeling is here!
Posted: May 7, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bathrooms, snow, springtime Leave a commentI made it out to the Rubicon today. There is still plenty of snow and plenty of water. Please Tred Lightly!
Sadly, even though I was told, by a very reliable source, that the bathrooms were open, they were not. It seems the local 4wd club who took on that responsibility has not been following through on their promise.
Yes, snow on the trail. This is the first climb out of the staging area. It will change daily as the temps will be in to the 70’s this week.
Don’t let springtime fool you, that same weather app says possible snow Monday into Tuesday! Always be prepared to spend the night on the trail: food, shelter, warm change of clothes, etc.
This is still the first climb out of the staging area. Not too slippery.
To be fair, once past this climb there were minimal snow spots. Until there were snow spots.
Well, I didn’t get too far. This is just past Water Bar (rolling dip) #19. This is where all the eight inch river rock is on the trail. I didn’t want to push my luck.
On the way out, I stopped at one of the many rolling dips. I think it was number seven. This one appears to have rocks piled to keep the water on the trail.
I spent maybe 20 minutes removing the rocks blocking the water from exiting the trail and throwing them where they block the water from running down the trail.
It made a huge difference. The next two weeks would be a great time for RTF, FOTR, LTBMU and Placer County to get out on the trail and survey the trail to determine where work parties should focus to prevent future lawsuits for water on the trail and running water causing erosion and sedimentation.
Get out there, have fun, be safe and be respectful to the trail and others.
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Rubicon Ronin
Eldorado Forest Extends Seasonal Closures!
Posted: March 28, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: closure, rain, seasonal, snow Leave a commentEven though the snow pack for the Sierra is below average, the Forest Service has seen fit to extend the seasonal closure of OHV trails and roads. Typically, opening on April 1st, their trails will now open April 30th.
On the Tahoe side of the Rubicon Trail, this only applies to the Richardson Lake Trail that goes to Sourdough Hill.
 Eldorado National Forest Forest Service News Release Contact: Kristi Schroeder kristi.schroeder@usda.gov Seasonal Road and Trail Closure Extended through April 30 PLACERVILLE, Calif., March 27, 2025 — Based on recent and predicted rain and snow, the seasonal closure of dirt roads and motorized trails is being extended through April 30 on the Eldorado National Forest. Using motor vehicles on dirt roads and trails when soil moisture is high can cause damage to roadbeds from rutting, and impaired water quality from excess erosion. A minimum three-month closure period from January 1 through March 31 was designated for the core part of the wet season in the Eldorado National Forest Travel Management Plan. This plan also allows the seasonal closure to start earlier or be extended based on actual conditions. The roads and trails that are subject to the seasonal closure are marked with a “Seasonal Designation” on the current Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) for the forest. The MVUMs are available from any forest office or can be downloaded from the forest website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/eldorado/maps-pubs/?cid=fseprd637014. The seasonal closure does not affect roads and trails in the Rock Creek Area near Georgetown which has its own wet weather closure process. For additional recreation information, contact the Visitor Services staff from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday: Forest Supervisor’s Office – 530-622-5061Georgetown Ranger District – 530-333-4312Placerville/Pacific Ranger District – 530-644-2324Amador Ranger District – 209-259-3774 ### USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender |
The 'Other' Rubicon 