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Switchback Spring Loops Intro | La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
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Overview | Switchback Spring Loops Intro | La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
Where Are the Switchback Spring Loops?
The Switchback Spring Loops are located on the Wilson Ridge North of Rocky Gap Road. The loops cover that span of the Wilson Ridge above Rocky Gap Road and the West end of the intersecting La Madre Ridgeline.
High Peaks Along the Switchback Spring Loops | La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
This wilderness area is the very heart of the wild Wilson Ridge. It’s seldom visited, yet is the home of some very fascinating artifacts. There are a number of tall limestone high points on this stretch of the Wilson Ridge. Each high point in itself requires a 3-500ft ascent, like scaling a series of mountains one after the other.
Each of the peaks have names, but the names are different depending on the register you consult. I’ll include names from CalTopo.com and Peakery.com. However, before I discovered these names I added some names of my own. I suggest we go with the CalTopo.com names since that’s the app you might be taking with you into this wilderness area.
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List of High Peaks Along the Switchback Spring Loops | La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
Here are the peaks from South to North:
Knife’s Edge Peak
My name as no other name was available. It’s the Long narrow peak at the very edge of the Wilson Ridge above and just North of Rocky Gap Road. Looks straight down on the Bridge Mountain Trailhead.
Peeper Peak – 7,557ft Elevation
(Peakery.com & CalTopo.com) The name I go with is Red Rock Summit as listed on Google Maps.
Mini Matterhorn
My name as no name was available and this was one of two twin sharp peaks with summit areas so sharp surrounded by vertical drop-offs that they brought to mind mini versions of the Matterhorn.
Tio Grande – 7,700ft Elevation
(Peakery.com & CalTopo.com) Before I knew the official name I called it Mini Matterhorn North Twin.
Switchback Spring Pinnacles
My name…could not find another name. Just North of these distinctive pinnacles located above Switchback Spring on Rocky Gap Road there is a long plateau that looks curiously like the Summer home for the nomadic Native American Southern Paiute Nuwuvi and other more ancient native American peoples.
Willow Benchmark – 8,235ft Elevation
Willow Benchmark (CalTopo.com) Big Mama (Peakery.com) at the junction of the Wilson Ridge and La Madre Ridge. I go with the name Willow Benchmark.
Fascinating Descending Ridgelines from the High Peaks Along the Switchback Spring Loops | La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Nevada
Each of these peaks as a descending ridgeline into Lovell Canyon. Mid-way up these descending ridgelines are slabs of limestone embedded with 500-million-year-old ancient sea fossils. The limestone is frozen ancient sea bottom mud and the fossils look as if they drifted into the mud just yesterday…some are so distinct. To gaze upon them is to feel the intervening ages drop away and you’re standing there 500-million years ago!
Higher up on these descending ridgelines there is evidence of ancient dwellings. On one of the ridgelines I found what looked like stone stairways and the base of small stone enclosures. These were not a natural phenomenon and they did not look like anything modern campers would have bothered to create. They were too large and too old! Also, from these higher points on the descending ridgelines to where they summited the Wilson Ridgeline, there were areas that looked as if they had been carefully leveled for dwellings. No modern campers would have taken the time or effort to level out these areas. Some were connected by the stone stairways.
Then there’s the long upper plateau on the Wilson Ridge between Tio Grande and Willow Benchmark. This plateau is filled with leveled areas, many surrounded with stone borders. These areas appear to be good candidates for Summer homes for the Native American Southern Paiute Nuwuvi and other ancient nomadic peoples. Not far from this location, at the upper end of Salt Grass Road in Lovell Canyon there is an ancient Native American Roasting Pit potentially dating back 9,000 years or older!
Yes, this area is the heart of the wild Wilson Ridgeline!Â
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