Originally published in 2012. This firsthand trip report documents our attempt to drive the Rubicon Trail from Loon Lake to the Lake Tahoe trailhead and back in a single day using two Polaris RZR XP 900s.
By Jon Crowley
I had been riding the Rubicon Trail since the early 1990s, first in a Jeep CJ-7 that never seemed complete. I was always looking for another modification that would make the trail easier—or at least more comfortable.
In 1998, I bought a Jeep TJ. With a lift kit and 33-inch tires, the newer Jeep was more capable than my 1977 CJ-7 despite the thousands of dollars invested in the older vehicle. Naturally, I still added a long list of upgrades to the TJ. Something about the Rubicon has always made me want to build vehicles capable of crossing it without leaving too many parts behind.
From Jeeps to UTVs on the Rubicon
The Rubicon Trail in Northern California is one of the best-known four-wheel-drive routes in the world. Its roots reach back to the late 1800s, when the route connected Georgetown with resorts near Rubicon Springs and Lake Tahoe. In 1953, it became home to the first Jeepers Jamboree and eventually earned its reputation as the “Granddaddy” of four-wheel-drive trails.
The route is officially the Rubicon/McKinney Road, an unmaintained county right-of-way. Its relatively short distance is misleading. Large granite ledges, boulder fields, tight lines and slow-moving traffic can turn a few miles into hours of work.
I sold my Jeep around 2004 and got into UTVs in 2006. At the time, I never imagined a side-by-side would be capable of tackling the Rubicon. A 2007 trip to Moab with my Yamaha Rhino changed my mind.
Later that year, we took the Rhino onto the Rubicon. We did not complete the entire trail, but we covered enough terrain to prove that a UTV with 26-inch tires and an experienced driver could handle serious Rubicon rock crawling.
Over the following years, I returned more than a dozen times in machines that included the Yamaha Rhino, Polaris RZR, Kawasaki Teryx and Kawasaki Teryx4. Those trips gradually led to an unofficial challenge I had been thinking about for two years.
The Rubicon Trail UTV Challenge
The concept was simple: start at one end of the Rubicon in the morning, drive to the opposite trailhead and return to the starting point before dark.
The distance was only about 15 miles each way, but there are few places on the Rubicon where a vehicle can travel faster than 15 mph. In many sections, walking is faster than driving. Traffic, mechanical trouble or one difficult obstacle could easily make a same-day round trip impossible.
A previous attempt had ended near Cadillac Hill when we encountered more than a dozen four-wheel-drive vehicles coming down the trail. Waiting for the group and then catching it again on Big Sluice would have consumed too much daylight.
The challenge remained unfinished until the 2012 Sand Sports Super Show, where several tire companies displayed new 30-inch tires designed specifically for UTVs. Even though October was approaching and the days were getting shorter, those tires convinced me to make another attempt.
Preparing the Polaris RZR XP 900s
I had recently received a new Polaris demo unit: a 2013 RZR XP 900 EPS Orange Madness/Blue Limited Edition. Although I had raced a 2011 RZR XP at King of the Hammers earlier that year, I had spent relatively little time rock crawling an XP and had never driven one on the Rubicon.
I recruited my friend Jeff, who had recently purchased my 2011 Polaris RZR XP 900. Traveling Traveling with only one vehicle on a remote trail is a bad idea, and doing it on the Rubicon would be especially risky.
Both RZRs had Factory UTV UHMW skid plates and A-arm guards. Jeff had PURE Polaris trailing-arm guards, while my 2013 XP used guards from Pro Armor. My RZR also carried a Warn ProVantage winch. Jeff had installed high-clearance radius rods from Long Travel Industries, but the High Lifter rods intended for my machine arrived too late to install before departure.
The most important addition was larger tires. Although the Rubicon can be driven with 26-inch tires, reduced ground clearance makes the trip much harder on both the machine and its occupants.
My RZR received 30x10R14 STI Rocktane XD tires on STI HD beadlocks. Jeff’s XP used 30x10R14 Maxxis Bighorns on STI wheels.
Fitting a 30-inch tire to the RZR XP required some trimming around the front fenders. It was difficult to put a knife to a new UTV with only 30 miles on it, but the additional ground clearance would help prevent more expensive damage on the trail. We retained the stock flares, moved their rear mounting points and trimmed the plastic underneath.
Our essential Rubicon equipment included:
- Full-length UHMW skid plates and rock sliders
- Front A-arm and rear trailing-arm protection
- 30-inch tires
- High-clearance radius rods where available
- A winch and recovery equipment
- Communication equipment
- A second vehicle with experienced drivers
To minimize traffic delays, we planned the attempt for a Thursday in the middle of October. The shorter fall day left little room for problems, but we were ready to put the challenge to rest.
Leaving Loon Lake
We arrived at the Loon Lake trailhead at about 8 a.m. After unloading and taking a few photos, we started down the trail at 8:20.
This would not be a leisurely ride with long stops after every obstacle. Completing the full out-and-back route before dark required us to maintain a steady pace and keep breaks short.
Almost immediately, the STI tires on my RZR began rubbing the front bodywork. The Rocktane XDs measured taller than the nominally identical 30-inch Bighorns. My co-driver, Paul, and I discussed adding shock preload to regain some ride height or trimming more plastic. I initially kept driving, but after crossing the granite slab we stopped to investigate.
The tires were contacting the plastic nubs used to mount the mud flaps. Paul cut them off with a knife, and we continued toward Ellis Creek without further interference.
A Costly Decision at Little Sluice
Little Sluice had recently undergone major changes. The obstacle was part of the defined county route but had evolved into a boulder field that only extreme rock crawlers could tackle. In September 2012, El Dorado County placed base material in the section and reduced the size of some of its largest rocks.
When we arrived, the modified Little Sluice looked possible in a UTV on 30-inch tires—but it certainly did not look easy.
My first instinct was to use the bypass and consider attempting Little Sluice on the return trip if time and equipment allowed. I should have trusted that instinct. The others believed we could make it, and I convinced myself I was being too cautious.
Paul took the wheel so I could photograph the attempt. He was an experienced rock crawler and had already visualized his line. Everything went smoothly at first, but photography made it difficult for me to see the entire situation. The RZR eventually settled into a worse bind than either of us realized.
The passenger-front wheel was off the ground, the driver-side rear tire faced a roughly 18-inch rock wall and the steering was turned hard to the right. Paul applied a little throttle, but the RZR did not move.
One of the most important lessons in rock crawling is to recognize when the drivetrain is bound up. More throttle may produce an entertaining video, but it can also destroy a CVT belt, axle, CV joint or differential.
Then I heard the unmistakable metallic “ping.”
I immediately thought our day was over—and I was mostly angry with myself for ignoring my original decision to take the bypass.
A Broken CV and a Trail-Side Repair
The outer CV joint on the driver-side front axle had failed. The combination of 30-inch tires, a hard steering angle and the load required to climb the obstacle had been too much.
Paul backed the RZR off the rocks to a flat area at the entrance to Little Sluice. We removed the axle so it would not interfere with the trip back to the truck, but that left an open hole in the front differential.
Paul and John found a stick of approximately the correct diameter, wrapped it with electrical tape and tapped it into the differential with a rock. I watched in disbelief as my nearly new RZR XP received one of the most primitive trail repairs imaginable.
We were only about one-third of the way across the Rubicon. I did not know how effectively the RZR XP’s on-demand all-wheel-drive system would operate with one front axle missing, but we decided to take the bypass and test the machine before turning back.
The XP crossed the next few obstacles surprisingly well. Continuing would mean climbing Cadillac Hill and later returning up Big Sluice, but the RZR still appeared capable enough to try. We also had the Warn winch if three-wheel drive was not enough.
Continuing to Rubicon Springs
The Little Sluice failure and repair had cost us about an hour, making an already tight schedule even more difficult. We passed Buck Island without stopping and continued toward Big Sluice.
Except for a few obstacles, the damaged RZR performed so well that it was easy to forget only one front wheel was being driven.
We took a quick snack break at the top of Big Sluice and then started down. Three four-wheel-drive vehicles ahead of us were struggling with the descent, including one with a broken axle. They allowed us to pass, and we continued through Rubicon Springs and toward Cadillac Hill.
Reaching the Lake Tahoe Trailhead
We reached Observation Point at the top of Cadillac Hill at approximately 12:15 p.m. After a quick lunch, I calculated that we had about six miles remaining to reach the Tahoe-side trailhead.
Most of the major obstacles were behind us, but reaching the turnaround after 1 p.m. would leave the entire Rubicon ahead of us in the opposite direction. Assuming we avoided another mechanical problem, it was still possible.
We reached the Tahoe trailhead at 1:15 p.m. There was no time for celebration. We took a quick photo, drank some water and immediately turned around.
The Return Trip
Paul and I followed Jeff and John back over Observation Point and down Cadillac Hill. Near the hairpin turn, we encountered the same group of four-wheel-drive vehicles we had passed earlier. A Toyota pickup at the front was stuck.
The group had no winch and was attempting to move the truck with a come-along and two tow straps, but they could not reach a suitable anchor. I offered my winch, although positioning the much lighter RZR uphill from the truck would have made the recovery difficult.
Instead, everyone gathered behind the Toyota and pushed. It worked, and approximately 15 minutes later we were able to continue.
We moved through Rubicon Springs and reached Big Sluice. Climbing it was much more difficult than descending it.
I had learned to position the RZR so the passenger-side front tire—the only powered front wheel—could find traction. At one obstacle, however, the best line lifted that tire off the ground. I backed up and tried a second line, but it pushed the RZR into the same position.
I decided to make one final attempt before using the winch. There was no point risking another broken part so deep into the trail. The RZR settled into a slightly better position on the third try and climbed over the obstacle.
The remainder of Big Sluice was relatively uneventful, although one section lifted the driver-side front wheel high enough to make the RZR feel as if it were balanced on the edge of tipping. Fortunately, the front tire still touching the granite was our good one.
Thirty Miles in Nine Hours
At Buck Island, I handed the controls back to Paul for the final drive to Loon Lake. Once we were close enough to know we would make it, I finally began to relax.
We reached the truck at approximately 5 p.m., nine hours after leaving. The shadows were getting long, but we still had about an hour of daylight remaining.
I was exhausted after nine hours of bouncing through rocks. The mechanical failure, constant time pressure and uncertainty over whether the damaged RZR would make it had been mentally draining as well.
After reflecting on the trip, however, I was thrilled with what we accomplished. Thirty miles is a long day in technical rocks, especially on the Rubicon. Completing the full out-and-back route in a nearly stock UTV—and driving most of it with one front axle missing—made the achievement even more memorable.
The experience also reinforced an important lesson: skid plates and suspension-arm guards protect the vehicle, but they do not make an obstacle easier. Tire clearance, careful vehicle placement, recognizing drivetrain bind and knowing when to use a bypass remain essential.
I still regretted attempting Little Sluice on the outbound trip, but the failure revealed just how capable the Polaris RZR XP 900 could be. Even with only three driven wheels, it crossed the Rubicon and brought us safely back to Loon Lake.
Our 2012–2013 Polaris RZR XP Trail Setup
This list documents the equipment installed at the time of the trip. Some products may have since been discontinued or replaced.
- STI Rocktane XD tires on STI HD beadlock wheels
- TMW Off-Road roll cage
- Factory UTV UHMW skid plate, rock sliders and front A-arm guards
- Pro Armor doors, seats, harnesses and trailing-arm guards
- Warn ProVantage 3500 winch
- Rugged Radios intercom and two-way radio
- Axia Alloys panoramic mirror and fire-extinguisher mount
- SSV Works side mirrors
- ProLine Wraps door graphics
- Yoshimura carbon-fiber intake scoops
More UTV Trips on the Rubicon Trail
- Rubicon Day Trip — September 2012
- Kawasaki Teryx4 Camping Trip on the Rubicon — June 2012
- Rubicon Run — July 2011
- Rubicon Trail Day Trip — July 2011
- Rubicon Snow Run — January 2010
- Rubicon Trail With Kawasaki — September 2009
- Rubicon Trail Day Trip — August 2009
- UTV Run on the Rubicon Trail — July 2007
- Crystal Basin UTV Trip — June 2009
Rubicon Trail Locations
- Loon Lake trailhead
- Ellis Creek
- Little Sluice
- Buck Island Lake
- Bridge into Rubicon Springs
- Start of Cadillac Hill
- Observation Point
- Lake Tahoe-side trailhead
Trail conditions, permitted routes and access requirements can change. Confirm current information with the appropriate land-management agencies before planning a Rubicon trip.
