Bypasses? Or has it just gotten that easy?
What is your baseline? Have you run the Rubicon before?
Baseline being the reputation of the trail and this video of a bunch of stock JLs running it. That’s why I’m asking - are they taking bypasses or has it gotten easier. Comments above make it seem like the trail has changed for the easier
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Well this might as well be coming from my rear because I have never been there, but what I have gathered over the years of seeing photos/videos and reading stories I don't think it has changed very much in the past few years; no more than all trails will, from year to year. There are some bypasses and harder lines in some areas.
From what I've seen, most people who run it recommend 37" tires, locked front and rear. That being said, you can obviously get through it in a Rubicon on 33s but it looks like you're in for a much bigger challenge and plenty of bumping and scraping if you do. And judging by that video, having an army of Jeep Jamboree guys spotting you and doing your recoveries for you probably makes it an easier run also. It's my understanding that Jeep has always tested Rubicons, in stock form, on the Rubicon Trail since 2003. El Dorado County does maintain it to ensure public access so things like erosion control and avoiding environmental impact are on their priority list.
What may be the hardest part is that the whole trail is rocky and technical. It's remote, 22 miles long, and once you are out there, you are out there. It's in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountains and there is no cell service. If you are 10-miles in and break down without the part you need, you might as well start walking because you can walk out faster than you can drive out. That's part of the mystique and what gives it the reputation that it has. That and it is one of the oldest Jeep trails in the country with some awesome history.
I remember seeing a video in 2006 from the Jeep Jamboree that year and I knew that I had to make it out there eventually.