Friends of the Rubicon
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But still, the road is a public road, mostly in El Dorado County, but with both Placer and El Dorado County have asserted right of way on the Rubicon as a public road (unmaintained). 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 user-days were estimated using the trail in just four months. They generated an estimated 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.
Illegal 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 or better yet, visit the Rubicon Trail Foundation website at http://www.rubicontrail.org. The future of the Rubicon is being orchestrated by the Rubicon Oversight Committee (ROC) that FOTR sits on, representing the user (wheeling) community along with the Rubicon Trail Foundation. 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. In addition, we have a full fledged Trail Patrol with Kiosk Staffing on weekends. Please visit this site to sign up to help staff the kiosk and provide volunteer education: http://www.rubicontrailpatrol.org. 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, El Dorado 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.
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