Jeeping the Rubicon Trail - A 4X4 Adventure with Driving Tips

[schizm99]

nice jeep, thanks for sharing! feel free to check out the east coast vids I have! no where near as informative as yours!

[7H3S3cr37W0RD]

And I thought that my TJ was the only one to screech like a monster offroad ;)

nice vid.

[EkspatVos]

THANK YOU for a great video and sharing your tips and experience. Thumbs up.

[77uhlen]

excellent job Aldo!

[LolMSowner]

i really like the way you explained all the details... and you said youve done some other trailing like this before ...on which trails?? =)

[AVontheTube]

@LolMSowner I have driven many of the trails in Moab, like Elephant Hill, Fins & Things, Gemini Bridges, Top of the World, Bartlett Overlook, Klondike Bluffs, Sevenmile Rim, etc. I also have done Broken Arrow and a few others in Sedona.

[Dodgeoffroadfreak]

@AVontheTube could i do what you did without lockers?

[AVontheTube]

@Dodgeoffroadfreak Because of the many irregular obstacles, lockers are mandatory to make it through the Rubicon.

[AllTheNewStuff1]

@Dodgeoffroadfreak Hell no. Gotta have lockers

[BrentwoodRedneck]

Y'all went UP Old Sluice Box?! Hell, I ain't never been down it! I always take the slabs bypass. I need lockers and 35's.

[NorthMan0007]

I can't wait next September to drive with Harold down and up the Rubicon Trail. That drive will be fantastic. I will celebrate my 40th anniversary this way! Thanks for sharing your trip.

[kenichols29]

Not just jeeps drive on the rubicon.

[jeep98xtreme]

A very good tip... always take someone who knows the trail.

[jsrnf]

Very nice video, beautiful scenery !

[AlpineJoy]

What an interesting and talented person you are. I can't imagine doing that myself, but hat's off to you on such great driving and professional videography. Very impressive! Do you have to put constant maintenance into keeping the wheels, hubs & suspension repaired and in proper alignment? Thanks for the video!

[AVontheTube]

@AlpineJoy Thanks for the comments. I was using a Jeep provided by the outfitter. Properly driven, a Jeep, or any other off-road vehicle, will sustain very little damage. It is improper driving technique, like driving too fast, or spinning wheels, or turning a wheel against a fixed object, that causes wheel, driveline and suspension damage. The outfitter told me that he has been driving the Rubicon for 20 years and has never damaged a vehicle component.

[Dodgeoffroadfreak]

@AVontheTube will my short arm 4 inch lift with 35 inch tires and a body lift get as much articulation as that jeep? i have a tj btw

[AVontheTube]

@Dodgeoffroadfreak I have always used rental Jeeps that were prepared for the intended trails. Unfortunately, the trainer I hired for the Rubicon provided almost nothing in the way of how to judge what equipment and setup is needed based on the obstacles you will encounter. All he did was show how and when to use a locker.

[JUDGExNOCTURNAL]

Very educational and nice driving by the way.

[pdlong123456789]

Very nice tutorial! Nice articulation, too… hard to tell on YouTube, but looked like you had disconnects – but they were connected. What’s your secret? (usually don’t post questions, but that’s what happens when you make a good “training” video) ;)

[craig18547]

Great information nice video.

[RCSCALECRAWLER]

How much money did you put into your jeep??? And what size lift????

[AVontheTube]

@RCSCALECRAWLER The Jeep was a 1999 Wrangler TJ automatic rented from an outfitter. I don't recall the amount of the lift.

[RCSCALECRAWLER]

sick jeep!!!! great video too!!!

[samiam2714]

Really good video showing the parts of the trail seldom shown on video

[SuspectD3vice]

Great video, great narration! What gps unit are you using?

[AVontheTube]

@SuspectD3vice Thanks for the comments. I used a Garmin 60CSx. Great GPS unit!

[chrisman324]

How do you guys refuel while you're out there?

You said it was a four day trip, does that mean on the trip was spent entirely on the trail? Or did you head in town to fuel?

It's hard to believe a couple gas cans can quench a team of two jeeps for four days.

[AVontheTube]

@chrisman324 It is only 12 miles each way. We did not have to refuel.

[devonjerome]

@AVontheTube Is there ways around the harder obstacles on the trail?-

[AVontheTube]

@devonjerome I was guided by an outfitter, so I am not fully familiar with all the alternate routes. I do know we took easier routes around the extreme obstacles like Little Sluice. We made it all the way to Rubicon Springs and back with the modified Jeep Rubicon shown in the video.

[BrentwoodRedneck]

@devonjerome Yeah, most of the time there are bypasses. Like when he went through Old Sluice Box, I was supprised that he didn't take the Slabs bypass. My jeep ain't built up enough to go through it yet.

[snakebite11b1]

there is a lot of tough terrain there, but I saw a stock geo tracker with diff locks do the whole thing

[420witchdoctor]

It's not stock if it has diff locks.

[rexdlu]

Great video

[OutdoorIdaho]

Really great footage, great editing. Thanks for sharing.

[mollyandtiger]

How would i know what gear to select. Would i use 1st low range if i wanted slow speed control.

[quadguy112895]

i took my buggy there and got it stuck on damn near everything... it was fun till i flipped it...

[jlockuptj]

What better Auto Tran or Manual Tran on the Reb for soon here I hope to make it

[AVontheTube]

Though I drove it with an auto trans, I prefer the tighter engine braking you get with a manual transmission and good low gearing. With an auto, you use the brakes more, sometimes even working against the engine to modulate power. You should go with whichever type of transmission you are most skilled with. Just make sure you have good ground clearance and very low gearing. A GPS and waypoints of the trail are a must.

[420witchdoctor]

Good ground clearance and very low gearing? I think my 1972 VW Bus might make it :D

[nathan61984]

Nice video.

[johnnyLikeVideo]

Nice production, really done well. I like the content too ;).

[4x4granny]

Did I miss something? Where is Cadillac hill & the lookout? The trail runs from Loon Lake to Lake Tahoe. I understand the 4 days but the trail is 2 day at worse. 1Day most times but everyone looks to camp overnight, usually Friday night at Loon Lake or Buck Island Lake, Saturday night at the Rubicon Springs ($15 / 3 days camp fee...privately owned), and come out on the Lake Tahoe side on Sunday. For anyone planning a trip here, look for trail closures end of July / beginning of August.

[AVontheTube]

It was an out-and-back trip and included drive time from Georgetown to Loon lake the 1st day, Loon Lake to Buck Island the 2nd day, Buck Island Lake to Rubicon Springs and back to Buck Island Lake the 3rd day. Buck Island Lake to Georgetown the last day. That was the route chosen by the instructor. Travel was slow because the instructor's style was to creep very slowly, walking speed, most of the trail, and to take frequent breaks.

[nethingwwheels]

Haha at 4:23 the mirror rubs. That was a little close

[eponeto]

Good video- thanks

[rayme07]

Great advice thanks. The trail doesn't look to bad Ill have to try it one of these days. Is there any really bad parts?

[AVontheTube]

The worst part is Old Sluice Box. It can only be driven with a heavily modified and very high clearance rig. There is a bypass, though. The biggest problem with The Rubicon is that it is not well marked, so you can easily get off-trail without a guide or a track-log from someone that has driven it. You might find a tracklog online. Unfortunately, my GPS overwrote my tracklog before I could download it to my PC.

[rayme07]

Thanks

[mollyandtiger]

So when u where rock crawling you are in 1st low range.

[AVontheTube]

Yes, 1st gear, low range 4 wheel. And, when necessary, front and/or rear lockers as I mention in the video.

[mollyandtiger]

Do u only use 1st low when you are rock crawling and decending steep slopes.

[AVontheTube]

I keep it in 4-wheel low to take advantage of gearing power going up and engine braking coming down. The Jeep I used on the Rubicon was an automatic, so engine braking wasn't as good as with a manual, so I had to also use the brakes when going down slopes.

[mysername]

great video and great tips, thanks!

[polarbz]

Best overview of the Rubicon Trail I've seen so far.