Rubicon Camping Trip

S

Saintnick

New member
Hey Guys,

I'm planning my first ever long road trip with my 4runner. So far I've been looking at Northern California (Rubicon Trail) to go camping. I'm making a list of necessary items to go on a solo off road adventure during the winter.

Any suggestions for a necessary supplies list?

Thanks!
 
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Wait, off-roading in the winter in the Sierra Nevadas? Are you talking about a couple of days, or something longer? The Sierras are known for freak storms coming up out of nowhere, I've been in blizzard-type conditions snowboarding where the bottom of the mountain is just getting heavy snow while the top has winds hard enough to blow you over. It's not uncommon for storms to dump 12+ inches of snow in 24 hours.

It's one thing to go play in the snow for a day and mess around, or go on a trail with friends and other vehicles, but on your own you could easily get stuck in the snowdrifts and have no way to get out.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, are you sure you want to? It's not the safest thing to do by yourself.
 
Speaking from experience, the Rubicon eats stock and barely-not-stock trucks alive. Fordyce even more so. There is plenty of beautiful camping around Truckee and north lake (can't speak much to south lake) that a stock truck will be more than capable of handling, even in the winter.
 
You can rent a sat phone. I've done it, it was actually quite reasonable. The minutes are crazy expensive if you use it, but if it comes to that, still a great value.
 
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/adT3-eKXfQ8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>trip this year in beginning of May.

What do you have done to your runner?. I went awhile ago on ifs and 35s with a rear locker all the way to spider lake and it was NOT fun. Ifs does not belong on the rocks. Almost rolled a few times. I have seen others do it with good spotters but it's rough and risky. Especially if you care at all about body damage
 
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Saintnick said:
Hey Guys,

I'm planning my first ever long road trip with my 4runner. So far I've been looking at Northern California (Rubicon Trail) to go camping. I'm making a list of necessary items to go on a solo off road adventure during the winter.

Any suggestions for a necessary supplies list?

Thanks!
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First of all, this is a fairly bad idea.

Second, many if not all trails will close during the winter. Erosion is a serious problem and a 4wd can damage a trail very badly in wet conditions. I'm not sure about the Rubicon, but the trails farther south are usually only open from July to October, depending on snow conditions. Plenty of trails available for snow wheeling, just not the good ones.

:car:
 
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IBallEngineer said:
First of all, this is a fairly bad idea.

Second, many if not all trails will close during the winter. Erosion is a serious problem and a 4wd can damage a trail very badly in wet conditions. I'm not sure about the Rubicon, but the trails farther south are usually only open from July to October, depending on snow conditions. Plenty of trails available for snow wheeling, just not the good ones.

:car:
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Most are closed from July to Oct. because they don't even plow the roads to get to the trails! Some roads will also be blocked off with gates, I guess Caltrans got tired of rescuing stranded motorists or something.
 
gamefreakgc said:
Most are closed from July to Oct. because they don't even plow the roads to get to the trails! Some roads will also be blocked off with gates, I guess Caltrans got tired of rescuing stranded motorists or something.
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Thanks for the input guys! I'm fairly new to this so your comments are eye opening. I'm practicing every weekend in the desert for various off road conditions, but it may be that rubicon isn't the best plan. Any ideas for a fun 3 day trail in Northern Cali which you can camp on?
 
Check out the Modoc Backcountry Discovery Trail. I've driven parts of it, it's great. Relatively mild wheeling suitable for newer drivers, super beautiful country, tons of stuff to see along the way.

Beyond that, Charles Wells has a book on northern Cali trails. I haven't read it, but if his Moab book is any indication, it's great.
 
KidVermicious said:
Check out the Modoc Backcountry Discovery Trail. I've driven parts of it, it's great. Relatively mild wheeling suitable for newer drivers, super beautiful country, tons of stuff to see along the way.

Beyond that, Charles Wells has a book on northern Cali trails. I haven't read it, but if his Moab book is any indication, it's great.
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I'll check out both! Thanks
 
KidVermicious said:
Check out the Modoc Backcountry Discovery Trail. I've driven parts of it, it's great. Relatively mild wheeling suitable for newer drivers, super beautiful country, tons of stuff to see along the way.

Beyond that, Charles Wells has a book on northern Cali trails. I haven't read it, but if his Moab book is any indication, it's great.
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I might take a look at that book as well. I'm not a "hard-core" off-roader by any means, but I do enjoy scenic drives and forestry trails, especially when I'm out camping.
 
snow junky said:
Anyone know any cool trails near Sacramento?. I heard bald mountain was fun
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Bald Mountain is a cool little trail, emphasis on little. It does stay open year round as far as I know. Awesome views from the top. It's near Fresno, not really near Sacramento.

:fish2:
 
4wheeling around eagle lakes road in soda springs is a little north of Sacramento . It's in the sierras and it's very scenic. Nothing a stock 4Runner won't be able to handle. Camping is very beautiful out there
 
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