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The Rubicon Trail is located
in Northern California's majestic High Sierra near Lake Tahoe.
Most people enter the trail
from the west and travel east through the Rubicon trail towards
Lake Tahoe.
There are 2 western "Trailhead's"
Most people start the Rubicon at Loon Lake,
but you can also begin at Wentworth Springs. Take the Ice House
Road \Cyrstal Basin exit off Hwy 50 about 20 miles east of Placerville.
Follow Icehouse Road for approximately 28 miles until you hit
the Loon Lake road which goes to the right. Follow it about another
4 miles until you cross the second Loon Lake dam, which puts
you at what is called the spillway. You are now at the start
of the Rubicon.
The other access from the west is via Wentworth
Springs, the original Rubicon Trail
route. If you come in the Icehouse Road and want to connect with
the Wentworth Springs access (and campground), travel the Icehouse
road and follow the signs (pavement all the way) to about 4 miles
short of Loon Lake (there will be a sign indicating a right hand
turn towards Loon). Go straight at this intersection. It will
take you towards Gerle Creek.
Travel another 5 or 6 miles. You'll go past
the Gerle Creek Campground and the Airport Flat Campground. You'll
see a sign for Bunker Hill Lookout and McKinstry Lake (to the
right). Take this off-shoot paved road. It won't be paved long.
Just before the pavement ends you'll go past
Lawyer Cow Camp (some old buildings still standing there), and
shortly you'll encounter a faint, narrow road off to the right.
That's the Wentworth Springs Road. You'll cross a creek right
off the bat, but the road is in pretty good shape for a while.
Mostly 2WD stuff at this point.
Travel a few more miles and you're at Wentworth
Springs Campground, with toilet and campfire pit. From here on
it's 4WD, lock and lo. From here to Rubicon Springs is commonly
called the Devil's Playground due to it's roughened condition
and great wheeling.
You'll encounter obstacles like the Post Pile,
Walker Hill, Little Sluice (with bypass),Spider Lake, Old Sluice
Box, Chappie Rock, Buck Island Dam and Lake, Big Sluice, and
then the bridge across the Rubicon River.
From there on, it's Rubicon/Soda Springs,
Cadillac Hill and finally, Observation Point. Take a photo here.
Everyone else does because it shows that 1) you made it; and
2) a huge portion of the trail terrain is right behind your rigs
in the photo. :)
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Coming from Tahoe: you
can park at the Staging Area (Homewood), where the trail begins,
in a dirt, fairly large pull-out/parking area. Follow the signs
to the Rubicon Trail OHV Access Route off the main higway that
runs along the west side of Lake Tahoe in the Homewood area.
It's approximately 15 miles from the 50/89
intersection to the last gas stop before Homewood. At 15.6 miels
from that intersection you'll see the Rubicon/McKinney Road OHV Access
sign. Follow the Rubicon Trail signs but you have to wind your
way through the Homewood subdivision.
0.2 mile you turn left on Bellueue;
then 0.1 mile to stop sign where you turn right on McKinney.
Stay straight then left on McKinney/Rubicon -- stay straight
you are on the trail access paved portion of the road. It's baou
1.4 miles to the end of the pavement and the Staging Area. From
there it's about 2.8 (slow) miles to the Barker Pass Road intersection
with McKinney Road and the Rubicon Trail. There are signs here
also.
Click here for more info from Del's Site
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