Rubicon Trail -- Who Owns the Trail and Adopting the Rubicon Trail

	Friends of the Rubicon FOTR
	Friends of the Rubicon FOTR

Get Involved!

To help save trails and our sport, here are things you can do:

JOIN every group you can afford to join.

ADVOCATE for your sport and talk it up.

INCLUDE others, like politicians and friends in what you love to do.

LETTERS -- write to your elected officials, tell them how you feel and what you want for our recreation. Be a voice.

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RUBICON TRAIL: OWNERSHIP AND MAINTENANCE

The Rubicon Trail is a "non-maintained" county owned road that runs through private property and USFS lands. But the key is that it IS a county road. However, if one gets off the road (like in an illegal bypass), it's safe to assume one has left the county road and entered either private property or the lands of the USFS.

The slabs (granite bowl) are mostly private property. Part of Spider Lake is private. Rubicon Springs is owned entirely by private individuals of the Rubicon-Soda Springs Property Owners Association. The Auburn Jeep Club recently acquired a small piece of private property on the trail. SMUD owns portions of the Spider Lake area. More here.

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But still, the road is a county road, mostly El Dorado County, but with both Placer and El Dorado County have asserted ownership on the Rubicon as a county road.

There are no sanitation facilities on the trail. You MUST use the concept of Pack it in; Pack it out! Bring a portable toilet. Pack it out (safely).

In 2001, 35,000 folks were counted using the trail in just four months. They generated 70,000 pounds of human waste (with no place to hardly bury it, let alone safely leave it). We must pack it out. See my sanitation pages for more.

Know Before You Go
tips for getting Rubicon ready

Bypasses are bad news. Do not create bypasses of any kind. This will definitely get our trail in jeopardy. We must stay on the trail. See my Trail Ethics section for more. Plus be sure to check for any Route Designation or court/lawsuit stuff that might affect the trail. Look under New stuff.

The future of the Rubicon is being orchestrated by the Rubicon Oversight Committee (ROC) that FOTR sits on, representing the user (wheeling) community. Feel free to email me any time if you have something to share or a question.

The Lake Tahoe Hi Lo's, a member club of the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs has adopted a large portion of the trail, especially on the Lake Tahoe side (Placer County). Additionally, Dana Holland, CA4WDC member is our Rubicon Trail Gate Keeper and conducts surveys every summer of the trail use. Volunteers help him provide handouts to users about taking care of our trail. His club, Top Gun also has a portion of the trail in that area.

Trail adoption is a USFS effort to allow users to maintain trails. It's usually done via a short memo of understanding or at least a form with the clubs name on it; as well as sometimes a sign at the trail head.

It's a worthwhile endeavor for every club to have an Adopt A Trail. Just contact the USFS District Ranger (or the staff Recreation Officer) for an Adopt A Trail sign up. For the Rubicon, Eldorado County has asked the Rubicon Trail Foundation to take over helping clubs pick sections of the Rubicon Trail for Adoption. Visit here for more.

The best map/book of the trail is the one produced by William C. Teie. Get it from Cal4wheel or your book store: 4Wheeling Guide to the Rubicon Trail, Deer Valley Press. You can also get it at www.tellico4x4.com or 4x4NOW.com. Ownership of the trail is somewhat discussed in the book.

Go here for more on how to get involved in land use in general.

Go to Rubicon FAQ's

Trail Sanitation
and portable toilets. Carry one!

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