Rubicon- Little Sluice

[randysjeep]

Just wanted to give the MJR users a heads up that on 9/28/12 Little Sluice on Rubicon has been "modified" for enviromental reasons. They have dumped several tons of small rock to fill in around boulders. You won't need 37+ tire for this anymore. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/gener...-friday-7.html There are some pics at this link.

[JeepGal]

[Jason]

Geez, I can do that now. Without breaking anything.

[randysjeep]

The large boulders that are still there, as far as I know, are supposed to be broken up too....

[daniel_buck]

what are the "environmental reasons"?

[inVERt'D]

Holy rockstacking!

[curtis]

what are the "environmental reasons"?

It was done because to many people were breaking and dumping fluid every where and not cleaning it up.

[JeepGal]

Im pretty sure it also attracts people who ONLY want to do the Little Sluice. People gather around to drink and heckle.

The first year I went to Rubicon back in 2002. We stopped breifly at Little Sluice just to look. I had to pee, and I stepped off the trail, and HOLY COW, it was a sea of toilet paper, cans and bottles. It was disgusting.

We were lucky enough to stay at Spider Lake that year. Little Sluice is a stones throw from Spider Lake. It was closed the next year due to the water being contaminated from run off from the surrounding area. You can thank the drunken idiots that have no concern for anyone other than themselves.

Im guessing that this has contributed to the "downsizing" of Little Sluice as well.

Rubicon is a beautiful place to visit. Still my favorite trail of all time. It doesnt matter to me that we lost the difficulty of Little Sluice, at least we still have it.

Tam

[mkjeepers]

The Rubicon isn't a rock crawlers paradise, but more of a challenging scenic byway. Someone should start some of those Buggy parks like in the mid-west that are designed for the extreme vehicles.

[RAT]

Those baby heads will be gone in no time... Just sayin...

[dirtman13]

Those baby heads will be gone in no time... Just sayin...

I was thinking the same thing. A few trips through and they will get kicked out. Really sad to see though. Hopefully by next year they will be all but dispersed.

[TipsE-Z]

I was thinking the same thing. A few trips through and they will get kicked out. Really sad to see though. Hopefully by next year they will be all but dispersed.

I'm with Chuck. While I've never gotten to run Rubicon, I suspect that when I join the "Dark Side" up there this upcoming summer all will be back to normal. Hopefully I'll have a shiny new JKU to beat into those Land of the Lost boulders. (much to the wife's dismay)

[igofshn]

The little sluice is the actual trail. The boulders were put there to make it difficult. They were not put there by nature. The bypass is not part of the trail. Forest service wants it to be back to a more natural state. A lot of the by passes are being shut down to preserve the trail.

[TipsE-Z]

Just wanted to post up a video that the Project JK folks did showcasing the new Little Sluice. Again, I have no personal experience with this but after watching numerous videos of very well built Jeeps have to work hard with an excellent spotter, this makes it seem pretty doable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZLhJ5i7VQ

[Russ Chung]

At 1:25: "Any stock vehicle, or even a vehicle up to 33" tires would have a hard time through this". When the Rubicon was "rediscovered" 60 years ago a stock vehicle (because Jeeps didn't have 33" tires then) could run the trail. Then about 20 years ago, the Little Sluice was sabotaged to make it impossible except for highly modified vehicles to make it through. If you think that El Dorado County "ruined it" for you, why not restore your Project JK Jeep to stock and take it through?