RUBICON sucks!

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LRChops

LRChops

10 Year
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Threads
41
Messages
174
Location
Auburn CA
Website
www.lillianrosechoppers.com
I have been on the Rubicon. I have met some cool folks out there, but overall it is way too crowded and there are way too many jerkoffs!

So I am on the Highway 80 corridor near Auburn and was wondering what other less croweded off road trails there are between Auburn and Nevada?

I like mild to moderate off road. I am not a trailer queen and drive my FJ40 to my destination. The less people and the less 4x4'a the better!

I usually pack my dog, guns, fishing gear, and camping/survival gear. So pick me locations where there is stream fishing and/or lake fishing.
 
Try the Eagle lakes Exit just past Blue Canyon. That is the entrance to Fordyce and has some cool little trails like Signal Peak and some other easier ones too.
 
Come on over to the sierra buttes second week of July. I'll be up there most of the week, and I think T-Bones said he'd be up there that week too.

...just thought I'd throw it out there...
 
I'm leaving that Wednesday Morning July 11th. I'll be watching for ya! We plan on camping at upper gold lake and we will be running to Deer Lake several times and cruzin around the area.
 
LRChops said:
Eagle Lakes exit it is! I will go check it out in a couple weeks!
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When you get to the bottom of the off ramp turn left under the freeway. Follow the frontage rd for a mile or so till you see this sign.

[URL="http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r170/fj60/IMG_0696.jpg"][/URL]

The sign will be on a right turn off not on the frontage road so keep an eye out. Once you get past this sign you will get to the staging area a few hundred yards ahead. To your right of the staging area will be the Signal Peak trail (tough). Go straight and that will take you to Eagle lakes and the Fordyce trail head. You will se a sign for the Peirce OHV trail about a mile in. That is an easy trail that leads to the Yuba river and some nice camping spots.
 
Wondering if anyone can chime in on taking a 100-series down Eagle Lakes trail? I've never been down that trail so I have no idea how hardcore or narrow it is, and that's where I'm worried with the limitations of a stock Hundy. I've wheeled my 93 pickup on the hard-side of Signal Peak as well as to the top of Sunrise Hill on Fordyce, but never done Eagle Lakes yet. I've also farted around in the Pierce area with my truck and also with my 100-series - but always turned around shortly after making it across the river and around the camping spots. Actually, I'm wondering if the Pierce OHV loop is actually a "loop" or is it just an in-and-out type of trail?

How difficult is Barney Riley?
 
A stock 100 will make Eagle Lakes. I had two friends in stock Nissan Titans make it along with a stock Tacoma. There's a few spots you will have to watch your rockers and of course use the Drive Shaft Hill bypass. Signal Peak is a lot harder of a trail than Eagle lakes.

Barney Riley is a tough trail. I wouldn't take a stock 100 on it.
 
Peirce OHV does have a loop. If you crossed the river past the camp sites and outhouse then kept going up the hill side for about a 1/4 mile you will run into an intersection, hard right is the loop portion, mild right will take you to the end of the paved frontage road. If you take the loop portion (hard right), it will loop around back to a different river crossing and more primative camp sites and continue to the 'T' intersection you made a left at to get to the original river crossing.
 
Sweet, thanks for the info T-Bones.
I might just have to see about taking the Hundy on Eagle Lakes in the future and see if I can figure out the loop section for Pierce. We just didn't give ourselves enough time last time we were out there wheeling in 2010. My buddy and I ran Signal Peak from the Indian Springs side, then got back on freeway and came back to check out Eagle Lakes and Pierce. It was our first time out there and we decided to take the bypass at driveshaft hill - but from what I recall it was pretty darn rutted out in front of that chunk of asphalt, and my buddy in his stock Tacoma barely made it up/down it w/o taking it in his rocker. Perhaps it's better now, but I'd be hesitant to take the Hundy up that (unless I saw someone else do it first) We kept going to what we thought was Eagle Lakes, but it didn't really help that we missed the unmarked left-turnoff and ended up on what we now know was Fordyce...we were like "I though this trail was supposed to be rated a 5" after somehow making it past the way off-camber section on sunrise hill (?) - both rigs with IFS, 31s, and rear lockers only and we didn't take any damage until coming back, when my buddy made too sharp of a turn around a random tree in the middle of the trail and took a rock in his rocker on the x-cab portion.
 
Is Barney Riley that difficult of a trail? I thought it was only rated a 4 and I'd be all good based on the description on TTORA.
After a few runs through Squaw Ridge, I've kinda thought my stock Hundy might be able to make that trail if only it weren't such a tight squeeze in a couple spots in the forested sections -- and that trail's rated a 5.
 
Barney Riley is not that difficult and only a few rocks as you drop into the canyon. If you have stock running boards, those might be damaged, but hard to say. I've had all 3 of my wagons in there, including the FJ62 which has only a 2.5 inch lift and no lockers or sliders. Watch out for the river crossings, especially the upstream one. If I had a stock 100, I would pull the running boards and stay out of the river until mid summer when the flows decrease. Otherwise just be careful and enjoy the beautiful area.

Eagle Lakes is also suitable, again minus the running boards. Take the bypass around driveshaft hill.

For the original poster, that's a bit of a broad generalization about the Rubicon. Mid week, it is virtually deserted, weekends it gets heavily used. Just the way it is. I just went through it Wednesday-Friday and it was deserted. The riff-raff, drunken fool aspect of the trail has improved a lot over the years, but obviously you may meet people you don't like. However, your attitude may make you one of the people they don't like, so practice a bit of self awareness here. Most of the problems I have seen on the Rubicon over the years are self induced. Too much alcohol, too much throttle, too much false confidence, and you get problems, not a huge surprise.

Fordyce is a hard trail, not suitable for anything close to stock. The first river crossing in particular is dangerous. Signal Peak in the same area is tame-we went there in a stock Suburban with running boards.
 
CruiserDrew is right. I was thinking of Ducy Eirshem (sp?), Barney Riley is not hard.

There are two ways to Signal Peak. I was refuring to the Eagle lakes side as being tough.

If you made it to the Fordyce entrance from Eagle lakes, than the hardest part of the eagle lakes trail is behind you. It's smooth sailing to the lakes from Fordyce turn off.
 
Cruiserdrew said:
Barney Riley is not that difficult and only a few rocks as you drop into the canyon. If you have stock running boards, those might be damaged, but hard to say. I've had all 3 of my wagons in there, including the FJ62 which has only a 2.5 inch lift and no lockers or sliders. Watch out for the river crossings, especially the upstream one. If I had a stock 100, I would pull the running boards and stay out of the river until mid summer when the flows decrease. Otherwise just be careful and enjoy the beautiful area.

Eagle Lakes is also suitable, again minus the running boards. Take the bypass around driveshaft hill.

For the original poster, that's a bit of a broad generalization about the Rubicon. Mid week, it is virtually deserted, weekends it gets heavily used. Just the way it is. I just went through it Wednesday-Friday and it was deserted. The riff-raff, drunken fool aspect of the trail has improved a lot over the years, but obviously you may meet people you don't like. However, your attitude may make you one of the people they don't like, so practice a bit of self awareness here. Most of the problems I have seen on the Rubicon over the years are self induced. Too much alcohol, too much throttle, too much false confidence, and you get problems, not a huge surprise.

Fordyce is a hard trail, not suitable for anything close to stock. The first river crossing in particular is dangerous. Signal Peak in the same area is tame-we went there in a stock Suburban with running boards.
Click to expand...

fact.
 
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