Jeep Rubicon is a moniker that is synonymous with a trail rated 4WD. This year Jeep celebrates 70 years of driving the famous and tortuous Rubicon Trail in northern California.
Known as one of the most difficult off-road trails in the world, the Rubicon Trail is the ultimate testbed for Jeep 4×4 vehicle validation, the inspiration for the brand’s most capable model – the legendary Jeep Wrangler and a lifestyle symbol of off-road adventuring.
If you have a Jeep Rubicon, you know you have possibly the most capable manufacturer built 4WD available.
Maybe we should have the same designation for the Canning Stock Route here in Australia.
This world-renowned 4×4 playground spans approximately 22 miles of the toughest off-road terrain on the planet – terrain that Jeep Trail Rated 4×4 vehicles are designed and built to overcome.
This summer, 450 Jeep enthusiasts and their families and friends, driving a total of 125 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators, celebrated the Rubicon Trail’s seven-decade anniversary
Jeep operates more than 40 Jeep Jamborees annually and continues to expand, this year launching two trips to Iceland that took place in August.
For an adventure based 4WD enthusiast like myself the Rubicon Trail remains on the bucket list. Hope your listening Jeep
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I’m Rob Fraser
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More Jeep Rubicon Jamboree details
- Jeep® Brand and Jeep Jamboree celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Rubicon Trail
- New video celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Rubicon Trail takes enthusiasts along for the ultimate trail ride
- In the 70 years since Jeep 4x4s first started crossing the Rubicon Trail, off-road adventuring has become a lifestyle for passionate Jeep SUV buyers across the globe
- The Rubicon Trail is located in Northern California, near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This world-renowned four-wheel drive covers a total distance of approximately 22 miles; Elevations run from approximately 5,400 feet to more than 7,000 feet (approximately 1,646 metres to over 2,134 metres)
- This summer, 450 Jeep enthusiasts and their families and friends, driving a total of 125 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators, celebrated the Rubicon Trail’s seven-decade anniversary
- Jeep Jamboree operates more than 40 Jeep Jamborees annually and continues to expand, this year launching two trips to Iceland that took place in August
off-roading badge of honour
It’s the ultimate off-roading badge of honour: crossing the Rubicon Trail, and this summer the Jeep® brand and partner Jeep Jamboree are celebrating 70 years of the extreme off-roading adventure.
Known as one of the most difficult off-road trails in the world, the Rubicon Trail is the ultimate testbed for Jeep 4×4 vehicle validation, the inspiration for the brand’s most capable model – the legendary Jeep Wrangler and a lifestyle symbol of off-road adventuring.
“For more than 80 years, the Jeep brand community has defined the Jeep brand, and for 70 of those years, the Rubicon Trail has been heralded by the community as one of the toughest off-road trails in the world, which, combined with its beauty, has put the Rubicon Trail on every Jeep SUV customer’s bucket list,” said Jim Morrison, Senior Vice President and Head of Jeep Brand North America.
Conquering the Rubicon Trail
“Conquering the Rubicon Trail is tangible proof that these Jeep vehicles can literally go anywhere and do anything. As you can see in the video, Jeep 4xe vehicles are taking capability to the next level again, by demonstrating how we continue to push the envelope as we develop our next generation of electrified Jeep 4xe vehicles that can undoubtedly conquer the seemingly impossible.”
The mighty Rubicon Trail is located in Northern California, near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This world-renowned 4×4 playground spans approximately 22 miles of the toughest off-road terrain on the planet – terrain that Jeep Trail Rated 4×4 vehicles are designed and built to overcome.
Jeep Jamboree covers 17.5 of the toughest terrain on its trail rides. Elevations on the trail range from approximately 5,400 feet to more than 7,000 feet (approximately 1,646 metres to more than 2,134 metres). Today, the Rubicon is widely recognized as the premiere off-road vehicle route in the United States.
1953 first Rubicon Jamboree
“In 1953, when Mark Smith organized the first-ever Jeep Jamboree with 55 Wranglers and voyaged across the Sierra Nevada Mountains by way of the Rubicon Trail, off-road recreation was born,” said Pearse Umlauf, President and CEO of Jeep Jamboree. “The following year, Willys Motors — then manufacturer of Jeep vehicles — became involved with the adventure, and Jeep Jamborees have been an off-road tradition ever since and continue to grow. Most recently, we’ve seen a huge surge of interest, especially after the Covid pandemic, with a tremendous demand from people who want to experience their Jeep vehicles in open air freedom.”
This summer, 450 Jeep enthusiasts and their families and friends, driving a total of 125 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators, celebrated the Rubicon Trail’s seven-decade anniversary by living the off-road adventure of dreams and in the process, proving that their stock Jeep vehicle can tackle the impossible and drive off the trail and get them back home.
Jeep brand engineers have long used the Rubicon Trail to develop and test its most capable SUVs, including the Jeep Wrangler. Adorned with the legendary Rubicon trail name, the Wrangler Rubicon took the industry by storm in the summer of 2002.
iconic Rubicon model
The iconic Rubicon model, inspired by the enthusiasts who dreamt about it and often tried to build one of their own, became available to order straight from the factory, not to mention with a warranty.
It was equipped with options unheard of at the time and not available on any production Jeep SUV, including Dana 44 axles, front and rear lockers, disconnecting sway bar, rock rails, oversized 31-inch mud-terrain tires and wheel flares to truly take off-roading to the next level.
The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon continues to be a “proof of concept” for the Jeep brand, where lessons learned in iconic off-road locations like Rubicon Trail and feedback gleaned from enthusiasts and Jeep brand loyalists continue to push the brand and the entire Jeep lineup forward. Earlier this year, the Jeep brand celebrated with a special 20th Anniversary Edition, revealed at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show.
Jeep Jamboree
Jeep Jamborees are off-road adventure weekends that bring together the outdoors, down-to-earth people, and their Jeep 4x4s. These off-road treks have a long tradition dating back to 1953 when 4×4 pioneer Mark A. Smith organized the first-ever Jeep Jamboree and voyaged across the Sierra Nevada Mountains by way of the old Rubicon Trail.
In 1954, Willys Motors — then manufacturer of Jeep vehicles became involved with the adventure, and Jeep Jamborees have been an off-road tradition ever since. Jeep Jamboree operates more than 40 events annually and continues to expand, this year launching two trips to Iceland.
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