Has anyone run the Rubicon Trail in an LR3 or LR4?

[avslash]

You'll also see at the end I pretty much said 'glad I did it, but don't need to do it again

The opening line to many adventures...

 

[San Moritz LR4]

If any of you guys agree to run it in a group, post it up. I would make it if at all possible (25 hour drive to get there), as it is a bucket list trail.

I have never towed my Rover anywhere but would probably load it up on the gooseneck and tow it up there with the F350 due to the damage potential.

I have zero doubt it can be done. Might not be FUN, might tear up a lot of ****, but if you're willing to stack rocks, use bridging ladders, winch it and bend whatever it is necessary it can be done.

It’s a deal. First things first. Under armor protection. I’ll keep this thread updated on my progress. Bridging ladders hmm , I’ll have to check that out.

 

[avslash]

You want something like this. Not the flimsy trax things that seem to be in vogue. They also make a great deck surface for a roof rack.


https://www.okoffroad.com/stuff-waffleboards.htm

 

[greiswig]

That was in 2016. With the potential for it getting a lot of action in 7 years, I would guess it is really gnarly now.

It's surprisingly consistent in difficulty from one year to the next, partly due to maintenance by the locals (especially the Pirates). And it's a pain for them to have to remove all the rock stacks that were put up to enable the stock Wrangler to barely squeak through. Which actually brings up an interesting philosophical point: if you have to do a bunch of stacking, use ladderboards, and winch your way over it, have you really run the Rubicon?

 

[ftillier]

Which actually brings up an interesting philosophical point: if you have to do a bunch of stacking, use ladderboards, and winch your way over it, have you really run the Rubicon?

If you show up with a vehicle that can traverse it with ease, have you really run it? My take is if you made it through, you made it through. You might have had to put more effort in and taken longer than others, but cleared the obstacles. You could argue that people who put up rock stacks should tear them down after they clear an obstacle, though, in the vein of "leave no trace"...

 

[avslash]

I agree. Every vehicle has a different set of challenges. Our challenges are height and tire size. You make it, you made it. I would for damn sure be putting one of those Jeep trail badges on mine afterwards.

I do worry that some of ya'll might not be willing to break and bend as much as me. Mine is a complete toy at this point. More so, if I actually hauled it all the way up there.

I personally love the videos of the dude doing Moab in the Crown Victoria.

 

[greiswig]

If you show up with a vehicle that can traverse it with ease, have you really run it?

Yes.

My take is if you made it through, you made it through. You might have had to put more effort in and taken longer than others, but cleared the obstacles. You could argue that people who put up rock stacks should tear then down after they clear an obstacle, though, in the vein of "leave no trace"...

IDK, to each their own, I know. George Santos is a congressman, too, in spite of the way he ran his campaign. But part of the reason we’ve lost access to so many trails and areas is people running them who have no business doing so, and creating bypasses for bypasses or cutting down trees to get themselves out of a situation.

And part of the point, to me, is to see what you and your vehicle are capable of without cheating. First time I ran Broad Canyon near Las Cruces, my rig wouldn’t make it past the halfway point. I turned around, and then spent a lot of time building up my rig to make up for the lacks.

I know that there’s a wide continuum between needing zero help to run a trail versus dragging a wheelless 1986 Tercel over Hell’s Revenge using winch power alone. But I don’t really think the latter can claim they ran it in good conscience, in spite of the Herculean effort it took.

Back on topic, if you run it, best of luck! It’s a beautiful trail and a lot of fun.

 

[ftillier]

But part of the reason we’ve lost access to so many trails and areas is people running them who have no business doing so, and creating bypasses for bypasses or cutting down trees to get themselves out of a situation.

I guess that goes back to the "leave no trace" bit. Creating bypass trails and cutting trees is not part of running any trail, IMO. Anyway, I see where you're coming from and I think we're likely largely on the same page.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

"What's more fun? Driving a slow car fast, or a fast car slow?" (This came up in a discussion on what is adequate horsepower for a daily driver.) I think the same may apply here. It's the challenge of taking a vehicle that isn't quite up to the task and seeing if you can find a way to work it out. For some, that might be more fun than taking a highly specialized and modified vehicle through the same trail with ease.

 

[LB Bill]

Our Club runs it annually

Should be really interesting this year. Appears your Club has it planned for late August, but there is still over 15 feet of snow pack on some of the mountains around Tahoe and the Rubicon. Thinking it may be a really wet slog in places...in addition to the usual daunting challenges.
Cheers! (lots of pic's and vid's plz!).