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In May 2014 we hit the infamous Rubicon Trail in its namesake vehicle – a Jeep Rubicon. We brought a 2″ Amanda Products receiver hook; a pin attaches it to the receiver, we just hooked it on. We wanted to see how it would stand up to what rubicon-trail.com calls “America’s wildest off-road and Jeep trail.”
Everytrail.com rates the Rubicon “Difficult” and describes it as “A mix of granite slabs, soft dirt, sharp rocks and large boulders that require precise maneuvering to avoid body damage. Several extreme sections can be bypassed but many very rough sections cannot.”
Some call it …
The Point of No Return
“It was raining and snowing and parts of the trail were flooded;
we couldn’t see what was under the water.”
Once you hit that trail you have committed. There’s a real element of not being able to turn around and go home whenever you feel like it. The trails are too narrow to turn around. There are no short cuts, no way around. Backing up and starting over are not an option.
When you drive the Rubicon, you’re negotiating rocks and trails that change as people use them; rocks move, roll down the hill – or flip. It’s never the same. You can’t avoid things, so you have to go through them.
If you mess up you’re going to get stuck, you’re going to get high centered or you’ll just bottom out.
Mission Accomplished
No recovery straps were harmed in the making of this off-road adventure. We did 12 miles in about 8 hours. (That included stopping for photos.)
The receiver hook didn’t interfere with anything, never got hung up – didn’t get bent or scratched.
Check it out.
Amanda Manufacturing builds OEM quality tow and receiver hooks for Jeeps, F150s, buggies, and any vehicle with a 2” receiver hitch. The SpeedHook™ receiver mount featured here is available in black and chrome.
Respect the Rubicon
National treasures like the Rubicon Trail demand respect. We took care to leave the trail exactly as we found it; those who follow will not find bits of parts or traces of paint on rocks or landscape.
Rubicon Resources
Our thanks to Matt at Rubicon Safaris for his selection of Jeeps and knowledge of the trails. We chose the silver ’06 Rubicon with 35″ tires, 3″ suspension lift and 2″ spacers.
Learn more about the Rubicon Trail at Everytrail.com.