Rubicon Trail

The eastern maintained portion of the trail is called the McKinney Rubicon Springs Road, and leads to Lake Tahoe.

The Loon Lake route is shorter, first crossing the Granite Bowl, a large open rock valley.

It was altered using explosives in October 2004 in a failed attempt to make the trail easier in order to reduce wheel spin and sediment movement to local waters.

The Wentworth Springs entrance joins the trail from Loon Lake shortly before Ellis Creek.

The Soup Bowl is an optional obstacle next to the trail, a short climb with a series of ledges that are difficult to ascend.

It is a rock ledge followed by a steep grade, facing downhill if driving the trail toward Lake Tahoe.

Cadillac Hill is a series of switchbacks up to Observation Point, starting with a rutted-out section with many exposed tree roots.

At the top of the hill is Observation Point, a good place to see where you have just driven and to take a short break before the long dirt road back to Lake Tahoe.

In 2001 the Lahontan Water Board contemplated filing an order to force closure of the east end of the trail near the Tahoe Basin.

When the Master Plan effort failed multiple complaints were filed with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board.

During the hearing, before issuing a final order, testimony was heard from El Dorado County, the Eldorado National Forest, and the Rubicon Trail Foundation.

The result of that hearing was a more manageable order requiring El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest to repair the trail, build bridges, obtain an accurate user count, conduct education and planning efforts, report regularly to the board, and provide more law enforcement on the trail.

The Cleanup and Abatement Order was rescinded on October 14, 2014, noting the efforts by government agencies and trail users to redress water quality concerns.