Rubicon Trail in early July

Talk about Trails. Got a good one? We want to know!

Moderator: hemingray

User avatar
jeff
Just realized teal ATV clothes are lame
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:45 pm
Location: Tooele UT

Rubicon Trail in early July

Postby jeff » Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:30 pm

Hello everybody. I do a lot of ATV riding with a group of buddies, mainly in Moab and the desert west of SLC UT. I was researching the Rubicon Trail for a trip this July. I have found that this website seems to be the authority on riding ATV's on the Rubicon trail. I have a couple of questions, if someone would be willing to help me out.

Approximately how many days would it take to ride the whole trail?
Is it possible to ride from Loon Lake up to Lake Tahoe and back in two or 3 days?
Would it better to shuttle a car to the other end and only run the trail one direction?

The group I ride with enjoys more difficult trails and we are really looking forward to taking on the Rubicon.

Thanks for your help,
07 Honda Rincon, Bighorns, Ricochet skid plates
07 Can Am Renegade 800

roon101
Is Totally Obsessed
Posts: 912
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:26 am
Location: woodland ca
Contact:

Postby roon101 » Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:38 pm

I would say yes it is possible but i havn't ran the whole trail
i have done the tahoe side and some of the loon lake side

if you like hard trails you will like rubicon for sure i would think finishing the trail would be hard if you half to wait for other vehicles to go or if there in your way.

Fordyce is a much tougher trail i think you will get an answer on here for sure we all love the the rubicon.

let us know when your comming down i would be in for it.
06 Polaris sportsman EFI 500 H.O.
25inch maxxis big horns.

User avatar
MrBill
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1813
Joined: Tue Dec 28, 2004 10:51 am
Location: Fair Oaks, Ca.
Contact:

Re: Rubicon Trail in early July

Postby MrBill » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:15 pm

jeff wrote:Approximately how many days would it take to ride the whole trail?
Is it possible to ride from Loon Lake up to Lake Tahoe and back in two or 3 days?
3 days is the best.
First day ride all the way to Rubicon Springs. Set-up camp
Day two ride out Tahoe side and back.
Day three pack up camp and back to Loon.
This will be a great three day trip.
Stay away from the July 4th and you should not have to wait for other jeeps.

Welcome Jeff
04 500 HO SP w/ the RZR bling rims/tires and 2 03 Bomber GTX DI

User avatar
oldtrucks
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1636
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:10 pm
Location: BANNED
Contact:

Postby oldtrucks » Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:07 am

While I rarely agree with Mr. Bill I have to say this is a great itinerary and the way to do it :wink:
Larry (ATV Ansel)

Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces

[url=http://www.offroadobsession.com/store]Offroad Obsession[/url]

[url=http://www.rallyontherocks.com]Rally on the Rocks![/url]

User avatar
jeff
Just realized teal ATV clothes are lame
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:45 pm
Location: Tooele UT

More help

Postby jeff » Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:23 am

Thanks for all the great tips. We are definitely planning a 3 day trip now. Since we will be coming from the east we were thinking it might be easier to start at the Lake Tahoe trail head. We would camp a Spider Lake on day 1. Day 2 run to Loon Lake then back to camp. On day 3 ride out to Lake Tahoe Trail head.

Is this even a possibility?

I would welcome any suggestion.

Thanks
07 Honda Rincon, Bighorns, Ricochet skid plates
07 Can Am Renegade 800

User avatar
oldtrucks
Certified: OBSESSED
Posts: 1636
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:10 pm
Location: BANNED
Contact:

Postby oldtrucks » Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:57 pm

If you come in from the Tahoe side you can still camp at the Springs. From there to Loon and back can take most of the day, especially if you spend any time playing in Old Sluice or try Little Sluice.
Larry (ATV Ansel)

Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces

[url=http://www.offroadobsession.com/store]Offroad Obsession[/url]

[url=http://www.rallyontherocks.com]Rally on the Rocks![/url]

User avatar
Ken
Site Admin
Posts: 7501
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2004 4:23 pm
Location: Auburn, CA
Contact:

Re: More help

Postby Ken » Sun Apr 19, 2009 1:13 pm

jeff wrote:Thanks for all the great tips. We are definitely planning a 3 day trip now. Since we will be coming from the east we were thinking it might be easier to start at the Lake Tahoe trail head. We would camp a Spider Lake on day 1. Day 2 run to Loon Lake then back to camp. On day 3 ride out to Lake Tahoe Trail head.

Is this even a possibility?

I would welcome any suggestion.

Thanks

This is possible...

What you need to know, is you can NOT ride your quad up to Spider Lake. You can only drive 25' in either side of the trail, or you will be ticketed.

So...if you camp at Spider Lake....you'll be walking your gear near the lake. Also....if you go Friday from Tahoe to Spider...it's a long haul. On Saturday, you can easily go from Spider to Loon and back....but you must be aware the tradition direction is Loon to Tahoe....so you face many people coming at you.....so just be patient...and don't plan on zooming through uninterrupted.

The best camping spots are Springs (There is a daily fee), Buck Island Lake, Spider (Little Sluice) and Loon Lake....though Loon is busy and cars can drive there...so you have families in Honda Civics..LOL.

If you leave Tahoe early on Friday Morning....getting to Spider by late afternoon is reasonable. You will probably want to spend time at the Springs, as they are so darn beautiful. Buck Island will also be a break point. Both the Springs and Buck are good swimming opportunities.

Without any delays, an experienced rider familiar with the trail can get from Spider to Loon and back in 1 hour on ATV....but since you've never been....Don't rush! Enjoy it. Add some traffic and you're probably looking at 4 hours for a round trip.

Now for the details.....In order to ride from Tahoe to Loon and back.....you're going to need GAS!! yes...it's only 20 miles each way....but your machine will be running ALL DAY. So I would plan on NO LESS than 3 gallons extra per machine. Even still...you should conserve...be easy on throttle...turn off your machine at every stop....no wasted idle. A Kolpin flat pack...and perhaps and extra gallon...wouldn't be bad insurance. The good news...there's LOTS of people with gas cans if you run out....bring cash. :)

The Rubicon is a County road....all regular road rules apply.

Check the Rubicon Calendar that I update on Pirate4X4. That will tell you how many rigs you are likely to face.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=762959
The last words spoken before a YouTube video is filmed: "Hold my beer, now watch this..."

Regards,
Ken Hower
RTF Director
http://www.rubicontrail.org/

Norcalbmxer
Is tracking a shipment right now
Posts: 135
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:24 am

Postby Norcalbmxer » Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:49 pm

I would suggest 2 days each way especially being your first time on the trail.

Most of the beauty of the trail is more then 25 feet from the center of the trail, and you want to have the ability to stop and spend time enjoying it while having a snack or whatever...... Additionally there are many "stop points" along the trail (soup bowl, million dollar hill, the boxes, even gate keeper or whats left of it) that are great for watching other rigs and how they negotiate the terrain.

If you go in with a 3 day schedule, i think you may miss alot of what the Rubicon is really all about......
"If you cant crawl over it, just wheelie over it" - Ken
www.joinernetworks.com

My Right rear tire has 2 plugs in it, but my left rear only has 1


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests