Stupidest Thing I’ve Ever Done, in a Jeep
Posted: April 13, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: snow, STORM, Travel, winter Leave a commentSpring was here, but winter wanted one more shot. And it happened over the weekend.
The latest winter storm dropped several feet of snow over the Sierra. I wanted to know how much the Tahoe Side received.
Unable to rally any of my fellow wheelers, I went in alone. Not only single vehicle, but single person. But I had all the gear: “Go Bag”, sleeping bag, food, water, recovery gear, parts, communications (ham), etc. What tipped me off that it was a bad idea was while I was loading the snow shoes.
Traffic in Truckee was at a stop because of chain controls over the summit.
Traffic lightened again as people turned into Squaw Valley. But at 9am, if you’re still on the road, you’re late for the fresh powder.
The Tahoma neighborhood was half plowed. Ed Dorado County had been there and cleared their streets. Placer County had not yet made it through the neighborhood.
I didn’t slow much as I entered the trail, I just reached down and put it in 4wd. And I didn’t bother to air down.
There had been two rigs in before me but that was yesterday. I was making fresh tracks on the snow that fell overnight.
The tracks I was following were not helping. The snow was so soft that you really had to work to stay in the grove.
I had confidence because I knew that there was asphalt under all that snow.
I finally made the staging area. There were tracks going further up the trail but this was a far as I was willing to go.
Even on 35″ tires, I was dragging my diff almost the whole way in.
I was a little nervous that I’d encounter a group coming in on my way out, so I didn’t linger and headed out after a few pictures.
I did score first tracks for about 100 feet on my way out.
The bridge over McKinney Creek.
Very cool being out there alone.
Very quiet…
Except for the Southern Rock playing on my stereo.
Okay, so I was stupid. But I was a prepared for stupid, if something stupid had happened. Next time I’ll give my friends more warning that I’m headed out.
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Rubicon Ronin
ENF Delays OHV Trail Openings
Posted: March 28, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: snow, Travel, winter Leave a commentThe Eldorado National Forest has delayed opening our OHV trails until April 15th due to the late and wet storms we are experiencing.
For the purposes of this website, that really only means the Richardson Lake Trail to Sourdough Hill. For what it’s worth, there’s so much snow out there that no one is getting up that trail anyway.
Many trails around Loon Lake and on the west end of the Rubicon Trail will be affected.
 U.S. Forest Service Eldorado National Forest 100 Forni Road Placerville, CA 95667 530-303-2412 www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado  News Release For Immediate Release March 28, 2024 Contact: Placerville / Pacific Ranger District: 530-644-2324 Amador Ranger District: 209-259-3774 Georgetown Ranger District: 530-333-4312 www.facebook.com/EldoradoNF Twitter: @EldoradoNF Seasonal Closure of Dirt Roads and Motorized Trails Extended through April 15 on the Eldorado National Forest PLACERVILLE, Calif. – Based on recent and predicted rain and snow, the seasonal closure of dirt roads and motorized trails is being extended through April 15 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 in a given year. 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 8:00 am to 4:30 pm 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 ### The U.S.D.A Forest Service is an equal opportunity employer. The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. |
Winter storms are still coming across the Sierra. If you go out to play, be prepared to spend the night. Bring food, shelter, water, clothing, ham radio, etc.
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Rubicon Ronin
ENF delays trail openings
Posted: March 26, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: access, closure, snow, Travel Leave a commentProbably to no one’s surprise, the Eldorado National Forest has delayed the opening of it’s OHV trails from April 1st to April 16th. This doesn’t effect our side too much except for the Richardson Lake Trail 14N39.
Although some of the more built rigs will be able to get to the 14N39 trailhead before April 16th, most of us will have no chance to get to the trailhead let alone run that trail to higher elevations.
Please stay off this trail until the trail officially opens. Below is the Forest Service press release regarding the subject…
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Seasonal road and motorized trail closure extended to April 15
PLACERVILLE, Calif. – Based on recent precipitation, the seasonal closure of native surface roads and motorized trails (commonly known as dirt roads) in the Eldorado National Forest has been extended to April 15. Rainfall, soil moisture, road and trail conditions, and weather forecasts are factors that trigger extending the seasonal closure beyond March 31.
“My goal is to have these roads and trails open as soon as possible for public use,” said Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree. “However, there has been a lot of precipitation in the last several weeks. Given current conditions, many of these roads could be badly damaged.”
The seasonal closure is designed to protect roadbeds and watersheds from damage and to protect water quality. 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 dirt road closure to start earlier or be extended based on actual conditions in a given year.
Roads and trails subject to seasonal closure are marked with a “Seasonal Designation” on the current motor vehicle use map that is available free-of-charge at all Eldorado National Forest offices and on the web at: www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado. The seasonal closure does not affect routes in the Rock Creek Area near Georgetown, which has its own wet weather route closure process.
When the roads open, there will still be wet areas at higher elevations for some time. Many routes change in elevation over several miles. Visitors are encouraged to be aware of changes in the conditions of the roads they are using, and to adjust travel plans when they reach a wet section as they will be responsible for any resource damage caused by inappropriate use.
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Rubicon Ronin
Spring is here…
Posted: March 22, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: snow, spring, Travel, winter Leave a commentNow that Spring is here, we’re all thinking about getting out on our trails. Well I stopped by the Rubicon this morning and the trail is calling.
The berm is actually quite manageable. The top of my shell is about six feet tall. So, the berm is about seven feet tall. I was there in the morning and it was frozen solid as the temperature was about 34 degrees.
Over the top of the berm, you drop down a little bit. I tried to dig my heel in to the snow to see how hard or soft the snow was and I couldn’t.
I walked up the trail a bit and the snow was just as hard and calling for wheelers.
If you go, please go prepared. Be ready to spend the night as things could go wrong. Food, shelter, clothing, recovery gear, etc.
Enjoy and be safe!
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Rubicon Ronin
The 'Other' Rubicon 