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.
.
Rubicon Ronin
RTF Update on Reroute
Posted: March 10, 2024 Filed under: Access, Maintenance, Travel | Tags: reroute Leave a commentI posted earlier about this but here it is with more information from the Rubicon Trail Foundation:
I’m of two minds of this reroute. Yes, it needs to happen because one heavy spring rain could wipe out that shelf road. But until it does, I want to keep some form of access to that section of historic trail.
As I mentioned before, the section of the trail just west of 03-04 is not the original trail. Decades ago, the trail was rerouted out of the meadow. So, in reality we’re not losing a half mile of the trail, we’re only losing a couple of hundred of yards of original trail.
It sounds like volunteers will be involved in the building of the reroute. Get on the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) email list to stay informed about when volunteers will be needed. I’m hoping they can find some rocky outcroppings to incorporate into the new section of trail. It sounded like RTF wants to make it more than just a dirt road. This should be the link:
.
Rubicon Ronin
It Snowed, a LOT!
Posted: March 5, 2024 Filed under: Access | Tags: berm, plowing, snow, winter Leave a commentThe drive from Tahoe City to Tahoma on Highway 89 was a little sketchy but at least there was two-way traffic. Once on the side streets of Tahoma, it was a one lane road.
The trailhead didn’t disappoint. With 89 inches of snow falling during the last storm, there was quite a berm at the entrance. The rotary plow had not come through the neighborhood at all. Not only was the berm taller than my truck, once it gets plowed, it will be MUCH taller than my truck.
This shows the width of the berm and that Placer County is still plowing the entrance straight across the entrance.
The locals are up and over the berm, on foot, and skis. It will be some time before a wheeled vehicle makes access.
This is the road off 89 on my way out. That’s 89 in the distance. At least this road was down to the pavement.
I’m not sure when the next storm is coming in but there will be another one.
If you go out, be prepared to spend the night: shelter, food, water, warm clothing, means for keeping warm. Ham radios work all year ’round. Don’t travel alone. Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.
.
Rubicon Ronin
Same old snow
Posted: February 20, 2024 Filed under: Access | Tags: plowing, snow Leave a commentReports say we’re at 89% of our normal snow fall. The berm at the Rubicon trailhead shows that, but the Homewood ski area was a little light on snow. No one had accessed the trail since the latest plowing that probably happened yesterday.
There appears to be quite the usage going on due to the ruts…
Further up the trail wheeled OHV use is very apparent, along with hikers and cross country skiers.
Placer County may have got the message about not plowing a dip. The current plow is straight down the road so there is no excessive berm at the trailhead.
Although I was in the trail Jeep, I wasn’t about to venture up the trail.
There will be many more storms over the Rubicon. If you go, be prepared for any type of weather. Be prepared to spend the night. Don’t go alone.
.
Rubicon Ronin
Two Rubicon Reroutes In The Works
Posted: January 24, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: access, bypass, reroute, TNF Leave a commentLet’s cut to the chase. Here’s the Forest Service map show the two proposed reroutes:
The first and larger reroute would bypass (in orange) the shelf road above Miller Lake. This has been on the books for some-time but this latest proposal moves the intersection of the Rubicon and Forest Road 03-04 further north-west. The new proposal is longer and would bypass two low spots on the trail along Miller Meadow.
The second reroute (in yellow) would bypass the famous “mud” hole that has been repaired and is now just a water hole with a hardened base. At least I think that’s where that one runs.
Here is the “review” from September 2019:
For the record, there has been a previous reroute at the intersection of the Rubicon and Forest Road 03-04. Here’s a link to a previous post of mine, from 2014!
https://wordpress.com/post/theotherrubicon.com/877
If you were looking closely, this document came out in 2019. I became aware of it today, 1-24-24. If you read the document, “The Other Rubicon” was mentioned on page 3 as a “contacted” or “conferred with” person. Although I have worked with the Tahoe National Forest on several OHV issues, I don’t recall any formal conversations about these reroutes. I certainly do not agree with everything in this document. It would have been nice if the FS had sent me a copy of this document when published in 2019, since the3y mentioned me in it.
So, what do I not agree with? Let’s go through the document page by page.
On the very first page it talks about “activities that restore, rehabilitate”. With out going into detail, I’m not in favor of completely doing away with the sections the FS wants to bypass. The long reroute would restrict access to private property.
I laughed that on the second page the document talks about the “hundreds” of annual vehicles on the trail. It should read tens of thousands of vehicles annually!
Also on page two, “decommission three short, user created bypass trail segments”. All three users created bypasses along Cadillac Hill allow for passing, either in the same or opposite direction. I distinctly remember telling this to Joe Chavez, on the trail, while he was attempting to decommission them with a spider excavator without public input. I talked him out of it that day, I guess I’ll have to do it again.
Timeline – this document was signed in 2019. The grant process is taking place in 2024. The plan is to work the trail in 2025.
There will be a formal open house held by the FS to review all of their grant projects. Here’s the downside, the forest service is under no obligation to listen to the users input. Even if every comment is opposed a certain project, the FS can ignore that input and do the project anyway.
We’ll have to find a new way to change their minds.
.
Rubicon Ronin
The 'Other' Rubicon 