La Madre Mountains Wilderness Overview
(Click Through to Individual Trails and Wilderness Routes Below)
(Mileage Below is Round Trip. Altitude and Mileage are Approximate)
La Madre Ridgeline East to West
East La Madre Peak
About 12 Miles RT / 4500-7,000ft
*Some Road, Some Wilderness*
La Madre Mountain North Approach
25 mi / 4500-8000ft
*Some Road, Mostly Wilderness*
La Madre Mt, El Padre Mt, Burnt Peak
25+ Miles RT / 4500-8,500ft
*Some Road, Mostly Wilderness*
El Bastardo Peak
17.5 mi / 4500-7872ft
*Half Roads, Half Wilderness*
La Madre Ridgeline Grand Crossing
Approx. 20-25 mi.
**Some Trails, Some Roads, Mostly Wilderness**
La Madre Mountain West Approach
28 mi / 4306-8000ft
*Wilderness, No Trail*
Additional Adventures on the La Madre Ridgeline
Burnt Peak
20 Miles + RT / 4500-7900ft
*Some Road, Mostly Wilderness*
El Padre Mountain
24 mi / 4500-7500ft
*Some Road, Mostly Wilderness*
La Madre Mountains High Elevation Perspective
20 mi / 4500-7000ft
*Some Road, Mostly Wilderness*
La Madre Mountain East Approach
28 mi / 4306-8000ft
*Wilderness, No Trail*
Southern La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
La Madre Ridgeline Grand Crossing
Approx. 20-25 mi.
**Some Trails, Some Roads, Mostly Wilderness**
Kyle Canyon Grand Crossing North
20 Miles + RT / 4500-7900ft
*Some Road, Mostly Wilderness*
Kyle Canyon Grand Crossing South
15 Miles + RT / 4500-7600ft
*Trails + Wilderness*
La Madre Mountain South Approach
22 mi / 4306-8000ft
*Wilderness, No Trail*
Keystone Thrust Summit from Willow Spring
15 Miles + RT / 4500-7500ft
*Trails + Wilderness*
3-Basin Circuit Trails
Approx. 28 mi.
**Good Trails/Sketchy Trails/Wilderness**
Brownstone Trail
Approx. 26mi RT | 3,600-6,400ft Elevation | **Excellent Trail for
Hiking or Running!**
Gray Cap Ridge Brownstone Loop
**10-12 Miles, 3,710 – 5,400ft Elevation **
Gray Cap Ridge SE Summit
Approx. 10mi RT | 3,500-5,000ft Elevation | **Good Unmarked Trails, Pathless Final Approach**
Switchback Spring Ridge
5 Miles + RT / 4600-6400ft
*Unpaved Road + Wilderness*
Switchback Spring Loops Intro
5 Miles + RT / 4200-6040ft
*Unpaved Road + Wilderness*
Damsel Peak
Damsel Peak North Summit
16 mi Start Sandstone Quarry Red Rock | 4370 > 6977ft
**Wilderness, No Trail**
Damsel Peak
Southeastern Slope
14 mi Start Kraft Mt. Trailhead Parking | 3800 > 6700ft
**Trails, Roads, Wilderness**
Damsel Peak South Approach
Approx 15 mi RT
**Trails, Roads, Wilderness, Some Class 3 Climbing**
(Adventure In Process)
Damsel Peak Loop
Approx 30 mi.; 3,600 – 6,530ft elevation;
**Trails, Roads, Wilderness, Some Class 3 Climbing**
Exploring Potential Routes to La Madre Mountain Summit
Imaging North, South, East & West La Madre Mountain Approaches
La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
Where is La Madre Mountains Wilderness?
La Madre Mountains Wilderness in Nevada is largely unknown to the general public. It is overshadowed by its more popular neighbor to the Southwest, Red Rock Canyon. This is puzzling because La Madre Mountains Wilderness is 4 times the size of Red Rock Canyon and immediately visible to anyone riding the Red Rock Canyon NCA scenic loop. As you enter Red Rock Canyon’s Scenic Drive and look directly across to the upper boarder of the park, you will see a huge cliff spanning the upper boarder of Red Rock Canyon and also forming the upper boarder of the neighboring Calico & Brownstone Basins. This cliff is a geological formation called “The Keystone Thrust”. One could also refer to it as The La Madre Ridgeline. The highest elevation on the La Madre Ridgeline is La Madre Mountain. The La Madre Ridgeline spans East to West stretching from the edge of the Las Vegas Metro area to the Wilson Ridge over Lovell Canyon. La Madre Mountain itself, at 8,000ft is about 1,800ft higher than the better-known Turtlehead Peak in Red Rock Canyon NCA.
North Side of the La Madre Ridgeline
When you to stand on the summit of the La Madre Ridgeline and look beyond to the North you are looking down on Kyle Canyon, the approach canyon to the Mt. Charleston Wilderness and the canyon at its center. The slope on the Kyle Canyon side of the La Madre Ridgeline is a bit gentler than the sheer cliff on the Red Rock side. In addition, La Madre Mountains Wilderness, on the Kyle Canyon side is a lush pine and juniper forest in contrast to the stark desert landscape in Red Rock Canyon. Thus, each side of the La Madre Ridgeline looks like its own different world. La Madre Mountains Wilderness is largely untouched, approached only by 4-wheel drive and by foot. You can spend an entire day wandering around this huge, peaceful wilderness and not see a soul.
Routes to La Madre Mountain
La Madre Mountain itself is only accessible by 4-wheel drive and by foot. I’ve approached La Madre Mountain from the North, South, East and West. From the North you’re looking at about 8 miles of unpaved roads beginning at the intersection of Kyle Canyon Road and lower Harris Springs Road followed by 3 miles of a faint trail to the summit of La Madre Mountain, a 22 mile round trip. From the West you’re looking at about 12 miles of trails and wilderness beginning at the Willow Springs picnic area in Red Rock Canyon NCA, then continuing up to the La Madre Mountain Springs area, then on up to the summit of the La Madre Ridgeline, take a right and traverse the top of the La Madre Ridgeline to La Madre Mountain, a 24-mile round trip. From the South you’re beginning at the Sandstone Quarry (Turtlehead Peak) parking area in Red Rock Canyon, NCA, ascending the Red Rock Wash, circling around to the upper Calico Basin then ascending the cliff/”Notch” between El Padre and La Madre Mountains, an 18-mile round trip with a lot of loose rock cliff scrambling. From the East you’re following a similar route but crossing the upper Calico Basin to ascend the ridge upon which Damsel Peak sits, then circling that ridge to the East to ascend La Madre Mountain from the far side, a 22-mile round trip.
Pristine, Hidden Wilderness
As you can see, La Madre Mountain sits in the middle of a vast wilderness requiring no less than a 22-mile round trip, most of which is inaccessible by motor vehicle. Yet, La Madre Mountain’s inaccessibility is its strength, making for a peaceful wild adventure! It helps being a trail runner in order to cover these long distances. Otherwise, you may want to prepare for a 2-day adventure. The amazing thing is that during the entire trip you’re only about 25-30 miles from the Las Vegas Strip and about 15-20 miles from residential Las Vegas!
Spectacular Views from La Madre Mt. and the La Madre Ridgeline
And then, there’s the view from the La Madre Mountain summit, and from much of the approach route. You can see in all its glory the Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Red Rock Canyon and Calico Basin, the Sheep Range, Gass Peak and other points of interest in the further distance.
Adventures in Process
Additional Projected Adventures
Switchback Spring Loops North & South (Completing the West end of the La Madre Ridgeline)
Keystone Thrust Trail Complete
Legendary La Madre Mountains Loop (Traverse the entire La Madre Ridgeline in a single adventure.)
