Trail Clearing – Part II

Posted: May 31, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Sadly, there will be a part III.

A huge shout out to the Tahoe Donner 4-Wheel Drive Club. We had seven members out today, in six rigs. We were on the trail from 9:15 until 5:30! Most was work but we did take the fun way home.

The start of a great day.

We headed up the Rubicon to Forest Road 03-04. We started in where we left off last week. Someone had moved that first tree but not well enough. We had many trees still down on 03-04 to clear. We were the first to drive most of that road.

When we got to 16E79, the first downed trees were right at the turn.

Just a short way in, we had more. Cutting and winching was the plan of the day. If they broke when they fell, we skipped the cutting and just dragged them to the side.

A ways up the trail, we came across a rather large snow drift. Due to the side hill, we turned around and went back to 03-04. We took that all the way to Barker Pass. 16E79 was doable, with winch work, but not worth the effort to get six rigs across. Next time.

Back on 03-04 and then on to Forest Road 03.

I almost left this one to get the dust off top of the rigs, but I was out voted.

Looking further down Forest Road 03, to the west, there are still trees down. Even along the trails we had already cleared, more three had fallen, some were cleared some we had to clear. Always be ready for anything.

Once to the summit of Barker Pass, we took a well-deserved break. Unfortunately, the drive home was back down 03-04. When we got to the Hobbit Trail (16E76) we took it for the fun ride down to the Rubicon. What you need to know is that I had brought my trailer to have better access to the gear for doing the trail clearing. It was a bit of a challenge doing the Hobbit Trail with a trailer. Not my first time, not my last.

The Middle Fork Trail (15N38) should open tomorrow (Monday) morning! There will probably be snow in the north aspect shadows. The paved road to Barker Pass doesn’t open until June 15th.

Again, 16E79 is doable but be prepared for trees and snow. Turn Around, Don’t Go Around. )3-04 is clear until the next tree falls.

With any luck, I’ll be out again this week to finish clearing 16E79 and to check that 15N38 is open and passable.

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Rubicon Ronin

Street Closure on the way to Staging

Posted: May 28, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Bellevue Ave, the first left turn off McKinney Rubicon Springs Road, on your way to the Tahoma staging area, is currently being resurfaced. No parking Mon-Fri, 5/26-6/4.

My suggestion is going in Gray Avenue off 89, one block south of the normal entrance.

Although it says no parking, a few of those days the road will close for the actual resurfacing.

We were out on the trail gathering data for a work project for later in the summer. Just a little on the chilly side today.

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Rubicon Ronin

Tree Clearing: Part I (we need to go back)

Posted: May 20, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

What a day on the trails. 9:30 departure from the staging area, back at 5pm. We worked our asses off, just to keep people on the trail. Six people, four rigs, 30+ trees cleared. And only one and a half trails cleared.

The plan was to clear Barker Meadow OHV Trail / Hobbit Trail (16E76), then the Red Cabin Trail (16E79) and given time, take 03-04 back to the Rubicon Trail.

Well, any war plan only survives until the first shot.

We drove out to Barker Meadow and turned north, The trail is very wet. If you don’t NEED to travel it, please put it off and give it a chance to dry out.

The Forest Service showed up with their Rubicon Jeep and a couple of helpers. Myles, the sawyer, got quite the workout today.

A big shout out to the Tahoe Donner 4-Wheelers. They had three member show up to help. Sorry, no pictures of the members.

This was one of 30+ trees we cleared from 16E76 and 03-04. The sawyer cleared the snag and then dropped the bad leaner. We only did enough to make sure there was a safe path on the trail. Future groups could clear trees a little further off the trail.

We finally finished clearing Barker Meadow OHV Trail (16E76). We started north on 03-04, hoping to get to 16E79. No luck.

Sadly, further up 03-04, the downed trees continued. Looking at the clock, we turned around and followed 03-04 back to the Rubicon. We cleared trees the whole way. 03-04 will remain closed north of Bear Lake until we can get back out there to clear the trail. That means access to 16E79 is not yet available. The plan is to complete the clearing before the June 1st opening of Blackwood Canyon.

More trees down along 03-04 on our way back to the Rubicon.

The trees never seemed to end!

There were a few snow drifts that gave us a challenge on the way back toward the Rubicon along 03-04. I chose a winch, everyone else muscled through.

No injuries. No breakage. Lots of trees cleared. It was a very fulfilling day getting so much done.

It was a pleasure to work with such a great group of people.

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Rubicon Ronin

Trail Clearing, Lost Keys

Posted: May 18, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Yesterday, FOTR worked the Rubicon Trail from the residential area to the new (yet to be constructed) intersection of 16E75 (The Rubicon) and 03-04.

There were maybe a dozen volunteers, from a few different clubs. Paul even cooked burgers for us at the end of the day! The hot burgers were awesome as the temperatures dropped and a few snowflakes started to fall.

Two of us retreated from the staging area to the beginning of the trail to clear some logs from the edge of the trail to make sure there is room for wide trailers.

Yes, it could use a good stiff broom but the cyclists can come in behind us and sweep.

Not pictured is the large and growing pothole just before the bridge over McKinney Creek. We’ll let the Basin know they need to address that one.

I didn’t get too many pictures on the trail but here we had just winched that large mass of downed tree to the side of the trail behind the Jeep. Others worked to clear the drains along the trail. This was just one of many drainages cleared.

This is as far in as we went. It’s just past where the new intersection of 16E75 and 03-04 will be. We got a report that there are many more trees down further up 03-04.

I will be back out on Wednesday with the TNF to clear 16E76, 16E79 and 03-04, given time. I’ll post up with a report as soon as I get home on Wednesday.

At the end of the day, a Jeep pulled into the staging area and left FOTR a set of keys that were found between “The Step” and “Hummer Bend”. Send me a comment if you know who they belong to and I’ll work to get them to the owner.

Great day on the trail. Positive attitudes. Capable rigs. Motivated people.

That’s how a volunteer day is supposed to work.

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Rubicon Ronin

Stupidest Thing I’ve Ever Done (on a mountain bike)

Posted: May 11, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Last week, I sat down with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit’s new acting Forest Supervisor Dionne Uzes and their new trails guy Daniel Cressy. We talked about the opening of OHV gates within the Basin, specifically, those that affect Rubicon travel.

It ended with me volunteering to do a reconnaissance of the Middle Fork Trail, 15N38. Since the trail does not open to motorized travel until June 1st, I was on my mountain bike.

The plan was to ride up Forest Road 03 and then down the Middle Fork Trail. Simple!

I was not really looking forward to the climb up 03. It’s a couple of miles and I’m not as young as I once was, but I had an ace up my sleeve. My ride would be my new (bought a year ago) e-bike! And oh what a ride it was. It was literally cheating. The climb was nothing…until the snow.

There were trees and a few boulders on the road.

There was a little more snow at elevation than I expected. But I was here and I was going up. Walking. Pulling the bike up as I walked.

There was no riding up the snow. And an e-bike doesn’t help if you’re pushing it.

And I probably pushed for about a mile.

I finally make the summit. Here is the gate at the top, open for snowmobiles that have long given up on this road.

Trees down everywhere and oddly, the bathrooms for those hiking the Pacific Crest Trail are unlocked! (That’s a subtle dig at the Basin for not yet unlocking the bathrooms at the Tahoma OHV staging area.)

The upper Barker Meadow OHV Trail (16E79) looks clear. It has a better aspect for melting snow, but I’m sure there is still snow in the shade. Remember that you do not have a way out other than the Rubicon Trail. Exiting Blackwood Canyon is not allowed until June 1st.

It was an epic ride down.

The steeper sections were sort-of ridable.

And there are plenty of trees down on 15N38.

The good news is that the Basin already had a crew out working to clear the trail. As the snow melts, they will work their way up to the summit. I believe that the trail will be cleared and open by the official June 1st opening date.

I did what I could to be safe. I let someone know where I was going and checked in along the way. I knew the weather was good. I guess I could have grabbed my ham radio, but I did have plenty of food, drink, spare parts and tools.

13 miles, 1600 feet of elevation gain. Three hour trip, two hours of moving. Slow, I know.

Get out there and have fun!

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Rubicon Ronin

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