Another Rubicon Trail access is through the town of Georgetown (the historic route), which is accessible from Highway 50 or Highway 80. Most people start the Rubicon Trail at Loon Lake, but you can also begin the Rubicon at Wentworth Springs. Take the Ice House Road \ Cyrstal Basin exit off Hwy 50 about 20 miles east of Placerville. Follow Icehouse Road for approximately 28 miles until you hit the Loon Lake road which goes to the right. Follow it about another 4 miles until you cross the second Loon Lake dam, which puts you at what is called the spillway. You are now at the start of the famous Rubicon Trail. Watch for the Rubicon Trail Signs posted on the trees and please stay on the trail.
The other Rubicon Trail access from the west is via Wentworth Springs, which is the original Rubicon Trail route. If you come in the Icehouse Road and want to connect with the Wentworth Springs access (and campground), travel the Icehouse road and follow the signs (pavement all the way) to about 4 miles short of Loon Lake (there will be a sign indicating a right hand turn towards Loon). Go straight at this intersection. It will take you towards Gerle Creek. Travel another 5 or 6 miles. You'll go past the Gerle Creek Campground and the Airport Flat Campground. You'll see a sign for Bunker Hill Lookout and McKinstry Lake (to the right). Take this off-shoot paved road. It won't be paved long. Just before the pavement ends you'll go past Lawyer Cow Camp (some old buildings still standing there), and shortly you'll encounter a faint, narrow road off to the right. That's the Wentworth Springs Road. The sign will say Wentworth Springs Campground, 3 miles. You'll cross a creek right off the bat, but the road is in pretty good shape for a while. Mostly 2WD stuff at this point. Travel three miles and you're at Wentworth Springs Campground, with toilet and campfire pit. Shortly after here it's 4WD, lock and load.
From here to Rubicon Springs, the Rubicon Trail is commonly called the Devil's Playground due to it's roughened condition and great wheeling. There are bypasses around the really tough stuff. Through the Rubicon Trail you'll encounter obstacles like the Post Pile, Walker Hill, Little Sluice (with bypass), Spider Lake, Old Sluice Box, Chappie Rock, Buck Island Dam and Lake, Big Sluice, and then the bridge across the Rubicon River. From there on, it's Rubicon / Soda Springs, Cadillac Hill and finally, Observation Point. Take a photo here. Everyone else does because it shows that 1) you made it; and 2) a huge portion of the Rubicon Trail terrain is right behind your rigs in the photo. |
