The Rubicon Trail

5/5 (41 reviews)
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... Read More
Sign Up for Free
All-Access Preview Icon
The Rubicon Trail is an All-Access Preview trail guide. Sign up for a Free Membership to get all the details.

Highlights of The Rubicon Trail

Altitude Category Icon Altitude
Camping Category Icon Camping
Forest Category Icon Forest
Iconic Category Icon Iconic
Mine Category Icon Mine
Mud Category Icon Mud
Overland Category Icon Overland
Rock Category Icon Rock
Sand Category Icon Sand
Scenic Category Icon Scenic
Snow Wheeling Category Icon Snow Wheeling
Wash Category Icon Wash
Water Category Icon Water
Highest Elevation
7150 ft
Shape of Trail
Straight Through
Typically Open
Year Round
Best Direction
East
Official Trail Name
16E75
Nearest Town
Pollock Pines
Nearest Services
Pollock Pines
Management Agency
Eldorado and Tahoe National Forest
District
Georgetown and Pacific Ranger District

Overview

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.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Guide Overview
31 Waypoints
95 Trail Photos
9 Trail Concerns
41 Community Reviews
1 Video
Trail Tools
App Store Icon Open in App
Gaia GPS Icon Upload to Gaia GPS
Download GPX
Directions to...
Share Trail
Print Trail

Start a 7-Day Free Trial and Unlock 5,000+ Trail Guides

3000+ Detailed Trail Guides
2000+ Member Only Scout Routes
Companion App with Offline Use
New Tracks Added Weekly
Download GPX Files and Print Guides
Access to Trail Guide Writer
What makes our Trail Guides so great?

Sign Up for Free to Get a Taste of Adventure

Free Members get 205 introductory guides to explore. Upgrade to an All-Access Membership for 5,000+ trails at your fingertips.
Start a free trial and get this level of detail on every trail guide
Start Free Trial