Rick Russell's Off Highway Adventure Series: Crawling The Rubicon DVD

The Rubicon Trail is without a doubt the most famous off road route in the world. This 12-mile route is rated Most Difficult by any standard. Our first Rubicon video (#6 in the series) captured the action of 8 Jeeps and 2 Hummers (H1s) crossing the Rubicon in the summer of 1994. Ten years ago a 12.50X35" tire was a large tire on a trail rig. The most common size was 12.50x33". Today a large trail tire is 13.50" by 37-42" tall and more vehicles have lockers or limited slip differentials. Coil suspension and belly-up pans give trail rigs even more ground clearance. Although the trail can still be run with 31" tires, you better have rocker panel and skid plate protection or suffer the consequences.

Our group rendezvoused at Loon Lake’s Northshore Campground and primitive camped near Buck Island Lake along the trail. Two Hummers and four Jeeps (including Rick's new AJ-8) made the journey. Our trip took us through Gate Keeper, across the slab, past Spider Lake and Buck Island Lake, down the Big Sluice, through Rubicon Springs and up Cadillac Hill. The large boulders in the Little Sluice caused us to bypass it on this trip. Have the vehicles and trail changed much in ten years? We think so, you be the judge.

Vehicle specifications and map references. 2005. 65 minutes.