When a friend and fellow journalist from the Midwest wrote me and asked if the Rubicon was all it's cracked up to be. I wondered whether he meant the trail or the vehicle. I was tallying scores of the new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and wondering if we could ever get our full contingent of eligible vehicles for our test over the Rubicon trail. Reading further he mentioned the trail, and I had to really sit back and think about what he meant, how the trail compares, and what lies in its future.
A person's opinion of the Rubicon trail depends entirely on their perspective, attitude, and experience. I've done the trail more times than I can count in more different vehicles than I can remember for the past 20-plus years. It's changed considerably during that time, as have the vehicles and the drivers. Anyone who has a hankering for wheeling should do the trail, regardless. Is it the hardest trail for rockcrawling? Hardly. In fact, I've taken fullsize lifted Chevys through and plenty of stock 4x4s, and I've seen dune buggies and all sorts of strange stuff make it through, some elegantly and some not. But that doesn't mean it's not difficult regardless of rig or driver. It's 11 miles of rocks, water, trees, dust, dirt, and spectacular scenery. Is it my favorite and neatest trail? Sure is, as it's in the High Sierras, with boulders and rockcrawling, camping, and the great outdoors. The trail is as hard as you make it. Anyone can straddle a rock and make the trail, but what if you force yourself to the difficult side to try it or expand your ability? For pure technical rockcrawling I'd recommend the Hammers in SoCal, but for beauty and the experience of a lifetime, it must be the Rubicon trail.
However, I'd never go on a holiday weekend. It's as bad as going to the mall the day after Thanksgiving, and the clientelle has been getting worse and worse over the years with rude, crazy, non-wheeling types more interested in booze and carnage than wheeling. Going midweek is best.
Luckily, Friends of the Rubicon (www.friendsoftherubicon.com) is dedicated to keeping the trail open, and as their Web site describes it: "Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) is an informal coalition of groups and individuals dedicated to keeping the Rubicon Trail of California open and available to all recreationalists. We are working with Placer County, El Dorado County, the USFS, private businesses, many organized recreation groups, and other land management agencies to ensure our famed Rubicon Trail remains as one of our crown jewels of motorized and mechanized recreation."
Informal or not, founder Del Albright and his organization helps takes care of the trail for all of us users, and contributing to the cause is in all of our best interests. The Rubicon is the best known trail in the world, and what happens to it potentially affects all of our public lands regarding closures, limits, and rights.
So yes, the Rubicon is a fantastic trail regardless of your ability. It is a must-do trail for any real wheeler, but may be closed like many others if it's not taken care of. Just look at what happened to the Surprise Canyon trail in Panamint Valley-closed for all practical purposes. Yes, there are groups trying to open that trail, but it's easier to keep a trail open than reverse a closure. Do your part, and we'll do what we can as well.