To all that are going to the clean up or planning a trip to the Rubicon soon it is imperative that you are aware of the below stated information. So please be advised the bypass is as we have been alerted has be made and is in effect now. ~Kelly~

IMPORTANT!!!

I need a full-court press from you all to help disseminate information on the Rubicon bypass... after talking with Del, FOTR is fully behind and fully aware of the re-route, and has been involved from the get-go...what we're missing is involvement from the Forest Service in the form of a press release.

This sort of thing can blow up fast and backfire (oh no, they are
closing our trail!), so please help spread the word that FOTR was
involved from planning to execution, and that this is a GOOD RESULT. We do lose access to a chunk of trail, but we gain access to a much better section of trail over slabs and boulders, courtesy of the Rubicon Oversight Committee (Del sits on this committee) pulling the various groups and landowners together. Best of all, IMHO, is that a section of the trail which the Forest Service WOULD NOT recognize as an OHV trail (long political discussion, here, suffice it to say for now that this is NOT a section
recognized as an 'unmaintained county road') will be rerouted, and that the new section of trail should be a slam-dunk for recognition as a formal OHV route... and that's a magical definition for the forest service -- it puts us in an even better position for continued access and really helps with potential FS funding -- and at last, I believe this allows us to get the FD Law Enforcement Officers onto this section of the land, with no
strings attached.

http://www.4x4wire.com/access/news/fotr/press_rel_10_02/
(map still coming - up by noon today 10/16)

If anyone has any questions, please post them here...Getting this information out is especially important since Pirate Cleanup is almost upon us -- we need to make sure everyone who comes up
there knows where the new section of trail is and does not attempt to run the old section of trail, or tear down the bypasses. We're a little behind on communications, so a united front of consistent information will help massively.

Feel free to share this information ANYWHERE, but please let
Kelly/Lance broach it on the Pirate Bulletin Board -- I think that will
be most effective, coming from Webdaddy/mommy -- and have contacted them in advance to make this happen.

Please help spread the word...

Randy Burleson (User Name: Randii)
Managing Editor
www.4x4Wire.com

We will also have 2 groups this weekend working on closing the "old trail", so you'll kinda be forced to take the new route.

Jeff

quick question on this. I am not sure which way I've been going since the first time then.

Is this "new" or "other" way the one that skips the the 90 and alligator pit or am I way off? I can't remember....I went the other way once the 1st time ever in '98 or something. I don't recall anymore what's what. the trail is still accesible from loon though from what I can see right?

Yes I looked at the map...but can't understand w/ out the obstacles illustrated or pointed to :D I'm offroad map illiterate ;)

http://www.4x4wire.com/access/news/fotr/press_rel_10_02/FOTRmapped.gif
This topo map shows an approximation of the re-route. The base map is borrowed without permission (sorry!) from the excellent site at: http://www.rubicontrail.com and will be replaced shortly.
In the map, you see the northwest corner of Pleasant/Loon Lake, where Ellis Creek empties into it:
* bold brown line is the official Rubicon Road that connects Wentworth Springs and Rubicon Springs
* dotted red line is the trail between Loon Lake and Ellis Creek, it extends off the bottom of the map to the Loon Lake dam spillway
* orange line is the user-created section of trail that will be closed off
* green line is a section of the original Loon access trail that hasn't see a lot of recent use
* short purple/blue line is the new trail FOTR put in across private land
* short red line headed northwest is the dirt road to McKinstry Lake

The new trail will be after the back side of Loon (other side of granite bowl) and by pass the section of trail that goes through the woods to Ellis. I'm not 100%, but I beleive it will bypass the meadows.

I will be wheeling in at night. I am pretty sure that I have take this route connecting to Wentworth trail before. Please, nobody shoot me if I fawk up and guess wrong!

umm, so up the crack like im going to ellis or through teh woods to ellis? wheres grandmas house too, jiMMy

ok i got it, after you drop down from teh top of the slabs on teh north side you go through the patch of trees like 50 yards and turn left where that crack is that every one takes posers shots of their rigs. easy, i always go that way anyways, its faster! jiMMy

DISREGARD THIS MESSAGE!!! For now! The trail will be open on friday night. We will be working on it Saturday, but most likely will not be complete for a couple weeks.

Change of plans, courtesy of the USFS (had a late-afternoon phone call with Rich Platt) -- their rental equipment fell through at the last moment, so they won't be removing the old section of trail... <whew!> ...not this weekend.

What's that mean to us for THIS WEEKEND? It means we don't have to sweat traveling the new trail Friday night. I just got off the line with Jeff/dogwalker, and he's already flexed his plan to cover what needs done... basically, show up and be ready to work!

Randii

Is this "new" or "other" way the one that skips the the 90 and alligator pit or am I way off?
No, Phil, this is further in, past the Gatekeeper, past the Alligator Pit/Car Wash, down one side of the slab, and up the other side of the slab, then when you start going through the trees, where the trail is either dusty or muddy, two feet below the level of the surrounding forest -- THAT is where the trail will soon be closed.

the trail is still accesible from loon though from what I can see right?
Yes!

Jeff is right -- it will bypass the meadow access. Don't sweat it for this weekend, as noted above, the heat is off us because of a USFS snafu... you'll see what's what when you get on the trail...

Randii

Originally posted by The Jerk
ok i got it, after you drop down from teh top of the slabs on teh north side you go through the patch of trees like 50 yards and turn left where that crack is that every one takes posers shots of their rigs. easy, i always go that way anyways, its faster! jiMMy

Jimmy, That trail you are talking about is only part of the "new" trail. Once on top of the slab you do not drop into the trees.
The new trail turns left from the top of the slab and you go up a little hill to the ridge, that will meet up with the other trail.
There were bolders, brush, and logs moved on Sunday to create this new section of trail.
If you look at the map, the trail you are talking about is in Green
The "New" section that was built sunday is in purple. that section
has never been driven on before Sunday.

This is going to be a great thing for sure. IMHO the swamp is just like Randii said, either a water/mud hole or dusty. It's been a big scar on the trail for way too long. Perfect fodder for the greens as trees and wetland area got beat up a bit (none the worse for wear, it will come back easy) and easy for them to use for photo shoots of the erosion problems on the trail. No more.

The new route, if you have'nt taken it is much more fun anyway. Nearly solid granite (more rock crawln) and much faster (and MUCH less dusty) than the old route. Cheers to everyone involved. Cant wait to check out the purple route.