The Rubicon Trail - Part 1 - a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail

The Rubicon/McKinney Road in Northern California got its name because it crosses the Rubicon River at one point near Lake Tahoe. Initially established in the 1800s, the road was used as a stagecoach road between Georgetown and Lake Tahoe. After the hotels went out of business, the road began to deteriorate. Because of this, in 1952, several residents of Georgetown held a meeting to discuss the possibility of an organized Jeep tour from Georgetown to Lake Tahoe via the Rubicon Trail. On August 29, 1953, 55 Jeeps with 155 enthusiastic participants left Georgetown on a two-day trip that is now known as "Jeepers Jamboree 1." Since then, the Jeepers Jamboree organization has moved the event to the last weekend of July. Now it's a four-wheelers tradition of these "pioneers."
Today, almost everyone has heard of The Rubicon Trail. It is an extreme trail and believed to be the Super Bowl of offroad trails. It is a must-do destination for all offroaders, overlanders, and rock crawlers. The Rubicon will test your driving skills and your vehicle. According to who you talk to, this trail is scary intense to a weekend camping trip. But don't be fooled; this trail should never be underestimated for one second.
Join Joshua Noesser as he and Kim take their jeeps along this epic overland and rock crawling trail with the Jeepers Jamboree. Will they make it, or will they fail. You will have to sit back and see.
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#trailsoffroad #offroadtrails #therubicontrail

[@kylemay6043]

I did the Rubicon trail in '85 with an overland tour company. I was 14 and it's still one of my best memories growing up. I'd love to do it again some day, but not easy living in FL. Until then, I'll live vicariously through your video. Thanks!

[@Trailsoffroad]

sure thing. I bet it was amazing back then.

[@parkerboggess2963]

I’ve learned so much from your videos, can’t wait to get this trail marked off my wheeling bucket list.

[@Trailsoffroad]

This is easily one trail everyone has to do at least once in their lives. It is not one of those trails that are hyped but a trail that earned its bragging rights over time and it slowly got popular. You can find more information on our website to help plan your trip including information if you camping and if you tow. The link is in the description above. Thank you for watching

[@Stangherbie1234]

Not to brag but my son and I drove a 68 Bronco from Salt Lake City through the Rubicon and back. No breakdowns. I did spend a year prepping. Awesome video

[@Trailsoffroad]

Thanks for watching! If you have any pictures, be sure to post a trail review on our website. We would love to see an old bronco out there on one of America's most iconic trails!

[@douglasrodrigues8361]

I was going to drive my 2001 Explorer Sport through the gate keeper, but kept getting hung up. A guy standing nearby told me that it gets much worse ahead. At this point I realized that I needed much bigger tires which I'll get, along with steel wheels. One of my aluminum wheels developed a leak on a seam. Will try this run again in one month.

[@stuarthynes6136]

And not arrived on a trailer. Well done mate. 🙏 respect.

[@RubiconTrailFoundation]

Here's some time stamps on named locations on the trail! 0:28 - Rubicon Trail sign painted by Shannon Chard from Friends Of The Rubicon (FOTR) 1:29 - Auburn, CA 1:35 - Georgetown, CA 2:14 - 1st Dam Loon Lake 2:21 - Shannon's sign (Now owned by El Dorado County) 2:52 - FOTR Kiosk 3:24 - Loon Lake Spillway 3:28 - Hot Rock 4:38 - Gatekeeper 7:11 - The Bowl 8:15 - Stair Steps 8:41 - Whale Bones 9:33 - Ellis Creek Bridge 10:18 - Bottom of Walker Hill 10:42 - Nobie's Rock 11:13 - Driveline Hill 11:47 - Short Little Sluice Bypass 12:17 - V Notch 12:30 - SAM WALKER! at Arnold's Rock 13:51 - RTF Mid-Trail Staff Glenn White on Indian Trail 15:29 - RTF Property Entrance

[@Joshyutah]

Great information

[@Trailsoffroad]

Thank you for this. Would you by chance have a map with all the named locations? Also, thank you for watching and thanking for helping keep this great trail open for the people.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Hey Guys, we released part two, I would love it if you did the same to that video.

[@TJackSurvival]

You should pin this comment

[@Crakheadzombie]

I think this is the fifth time I watched this. I’m new to jeepin. Thank you for all your hard work

[@Trailsoffroad]

Let us say Welcome. Off-roading is a great way to see the world. What did you get and where do you like to offroad?

[@Crakheadzombie]

I’m I palmdale . 1 1/2 hr from Johnson Valley . Let’s put it this way I got my jeep 95 Jeep Wrangler in the first wheeling trip today took us all the way up in Moab to do fins and things in Hells Revenge been dirtbike in all my life but I’m getting a little older so they say with age comes the cage

[@Trailsoffroad]

What do you think of Moab in a Jeep?

[@JeepAdventures]

Hell Yeah, such a epic trail and video.... Keep the rock crawling / overland trails coming. I love the difficult multi day trips.

[@Trailsoffroad]

We love them too, something about a few hard obstacles that make a camping spot that much more exciting. Thank you for watching.

[@Joshyutah]

Dusy is number 1

[@Thousand_yard_King]

My Brother actually helped establish the Rubicon run and the jeepers jamboree, your welcome!!

[@Trailsoffroad]

That is cool. What is his name?

[@jimsather6892]

Looking forward to Part 2. Couldn't find it on the TrailsOffroad website as mentioned. Take that as a compliment that I wanted to binge both episodes... :-)

[@Trailsoffroad]

A little hiccup, part 2 will be up Sunday. Thank you for watching.

[@bajamedic]

Just day tripped the trail on Friday. Was the only rig on the trail, it was surreal.

[@Trailsoffroad]

It is pretty amazing to go during the week and have the area to yourself. I highly recommend people enjoying the off days for this trail. Thank you for watching. - Josh

[@jimm2442]

We live near Placerville so it is not far away for us. A lot of flatlanders come here for it.

[@Trailsoffroad]

That would be fun. Run the trail like how it became famous. How many times have you ran the trail?

[@jefflenney9460]

Great Video Guys, loving the new style you're doing and the effort you're putting into the editing etc. Keep em coming! :-)

[@Trailsoffroad]

Thank you Jeff. What is your favorite part of the newer formats?

[@jefflenney9460]

@@Trailsoffroad Just in General, the MOAB one with the drone was prob the best i've ever seen you guys do. Even this one, just seems more well thought out and put together, better angles, more time into editing etc. I'm not a video creator so I can't nail it exactly, but they look great! By the way, if this is Joshua, aren't you in SoCal? I'm in Anaheim Hills, new JLUR owner and i feel the need to get it dirty, LMK if you're doing any runs anytime soon or anything :-)

[@Trailsoffroad]

This is Josh, i also live in Anaheim Hills. We are heading to Johnson Valley this weekend for the Search and Rescue Poker Run (Easy trail). Hit me up on my email at Josh at TrailsOffroad dot com.

[@richardvalitalo3670]

10 hrs, lol. I'm a week of driving away! Some day I'm gonna drive there to do that! Cheers from Ontario.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Yeah, that is a bit of a drive. You could cheat and use U-Ship. Then fly out and run the trail and ship back. I hope you get a chance to run the trail soon. ---- Josh

[@joeverastegui8399]

Very cool vid Joshua. Tell Kim I am impressed how quickly she has become such a very good rock crawler.....So did you say only a Bear is allowed to shit in the woods on this trail? LoL....I'll keep an eye out for part two. Happy Wheeling!.

[@Joshyutah]

Hahahahha, basically. Those put houses can be pretty rough

[@Joshyutah]

I am too with Kim, she did Devils Canyon earlier this year on the JL.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Thanks for watching Joe

[@EricBuenoo]

How did the stock sliders hold up on the JL? Looks like they did well despite not being frame mounted. Definitely impressed!

[@Trailsoffroad]

Hey Eric, they held up fine. They have taken several beatings but keep holding up. I would like to upgrade to frame mounted sliders for the strength but no complaints thus far. Thank you for watching - Josh

[@yotagang3705]

Did this whole trail in my 97 tacoma reg cab on 31’s, king shocks all around 2.5” lift, tc uca’s, fully locked, armor all around and underneath.

[@Trailsoffroad]

We'd love to see some footage of that! Tacomas are tough little trucks. While we show a lot of Jeep content on our page, we all love Toyotas here as well.

[@ervinrodriguez9655]

What Communication Radios and Frequencies/Channels do you guys use on the Rubicon Trail? GMRS? FMRS? VHF 2meter? UHF 440 MHz? Commercial? CB?

[@Trailsoffroad]

A little of everything. Overall the best tool to have on the trail is a HAM radio.

[@tomandhistruck]

what are you using to hold your gas cans to your spare tire? I've been looking for something like that.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Head over to Rotopax website. You will see a strap that goes around your spare tire that has mounts on it. Better yet, search on google (rotopax tire mount strap). I love mine and use it on a wide range of tire sizes. What kind of vehicle are you wanting to use this on? - Josh

[@dustys3320]

I miss when gate keeper and little sluice were real obstacles. proud to say I did them both before the were blown up.

[@Trailsoffroad]

A lot of us do. Better it is better being easier then closed since I guess there was no other option. - Thank you for watching

[@glennraney8827]

Great video. Looks like a blast. BTW... Where did you get the spare tire rotopax straps? It looks a bit more substantial than some I've seen.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Its been a while, but I believe it was from Rock Slide Engineering

[@curtismacardy8213]

Is this the Jeep Jamboree or another group doing tours?

[@Trailsoffroad]

We went on the Jeep Jamboree dates. So this was the family trip. Thank you for watching

[@RubiconTrailFoundation]

Jeepers Jamboree is the adult trip. Jeep Jamboree is the family trip. Rubicon Trail Adventures, David McKinney does private trips. He's an amazing cook as well. :)

[@firewied]

Where can I get the Rotopax tire mounts?

[@Trailsoffroad]

I use the tire strap kit. it goes around the tire and is a large ratchet strap and very solid. You can search on google tire mount rotopax and it will pop right up. --- Josh

[@ducatifriedrich2910]

Seems you were travelling with a 4 door driven by "Kim" and a small older red 2 door. What size tires and lifts were on those 2 other jeeps?

[@Trailsoffroad]

The 4 door was on 37's with a rock jock lift, the Black CJ was on 38's custom lift, The Red CJ was on 35's with unknown lift

[@nodealdana]

Where did you check in for BOH?

[@Trailsoffroad]

One time I did it along the trail while one of the others I did it at the end of the trail in Tahoe. -- Josh

[@lucasdixon1795]

I have a jk rubicon with 4” lift and 35’s do you think I’ll have any issues.

[@Trailsoffroad]

2 or 4 door? Best thing to do is go to our website. The link is in the description above. There you will find all the details to figure out if you and your jeep are ready for this trail. If you still have questions, you can ask the crew that did this trail recently what they think at the bottom of the website.

[@donnietorrey1703]

How far do you have to street your rig from Tahoe back to Georgetown beginning?

[@Trailsoffroad]

Hey Donnie, the drive back around is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours on average. That is the reason some people turn around and head backwards on the trail.

[@the_bencredible]

Nice video. How long ago was this filmed? I thought the Caldor fire had all the forests closed down.

[@Trailsoffroad]

We were up there July 30 to Aug 1st. The fires were in the area which is why the color was sort of off.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Thank you for watching

[@slowmobius2136]

Would you say Ellis peak ohh is a difficult trail for a 2021 4Runner with a slight lift and bigger tires?

[@Trailsoffroad]

I personally haven't driven up there. I talked with people that have but I never asked what the conditions were like. --- Josh

[@slowmobius2136]

@@Trailsoffroad thanks for your response. I should have asked in my question “if you’ve ever been” lol

[@Trailsoffroad]

all good. But if in the area, probably worth exploring.

[@slowmobius2136]

@@Trailsoffroad yea my brother wants to go check it out and apparently you can camp at the end of it. Only thing is he hasn’t off roaded much and my friend who also has a trd tundra want to leave where we live around 4pm, make the 3 hour drive to Tahoe and then do the trail. Do you think off roading a new trail whether it’s easy or difficult at night is a bad idea?

[@Trailsoffroad]

for a new driver it can easily spell disaster with the limited visibility. And with the Tahoe national forest no longer allowing people to camp, if it doesn't work out you have a bit of back tracking to get out.

[@Ryan-yo4dg]

Is there a bypass to the Gate Keeper?

[@Trailsoffroad]

No, but there are a lot harder required obstacles on the trail. So if this is too hard, best to turn around.

[@mannyaldana3337]

Do i need lokers for this trail? I have a lifted yj on 33 but not sure if should go for it

[@Trailsoffroad]

A YJ will be pretty hard without lockers and likely need a tug or 6. Mainly due to the lack of flex they have. A TJ on 33's is doable, but also extremely hard. But a single locker on there and you would likely be fine.

[@mannyaldana3337]

@@Trailsoffroad thanks for ur reply i will definitely get a locker before i hit rubicon

[@Trailsoffroad]

Have fun

[@djp1234]

Are trails open around Lake Tahoe right now? I thought that area was on fire.

[@Joshyutah]

Certain areas are open while others are closed. They are saying they will open more this week.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Yeah, the best thing to do is call the individual rangers offices to see what is going on. Thank you for watching.

[@dwaynemartin5174]

40 minutes from my house to Wentworth springs sorry lol

[@Trailsoffroad]

Lucky... And for me a lot of people say I live close. I do wish I lived closer - --- Josh

[@kibaileyb]

i want one 1️⃣ or 2

[@Trailsoffroad]

which one?

[@Joshyutah]

What's your favorite trail? This is right at the top next to the Dusy for me.

[@Trailsoffroad]

We have a bunch of favorites - (Dusy, Lockhart Basin, Crown King, and the list goes on...).

[@JeepAdventures]

Moab is fun, Rubicon is a a blast. Hard to say which one.

[@stuarthynes6136]

Arrive on a trailer? Please.

[@Trailsoffroad]

what do you mean?

[@stuarthynes6136]

@Trailsoffroad not able to be road driven?

[@forestlavoy8217]

Way too many people

[@Trailsoffroad]

That may be the only drawback of the Rubicon. Even on a normal weekend, you would still run across several groups on the trail each day.

[@RNicknackpaddywhack]

It’s not really a trail as much as it is a bunch of keeps just driving through the woods randomly following one another.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Off-roading is basically the adult version of follow the leader.

[@troybilt6752]

Cant take a whizz in the woods? Don't California my USA.

[@Trailsoffroad]

Yeah, this was part of the agreement to keep the trail open.