La Madre Mountain

La Madre Mountain Wilderness https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/nevada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Madre_Mountains_Wilderness The LaMadre Wilderness is a rugged complex of deep canyons, draws, summits, and ridges, set off by the deep green of a pinyon-juniper cover. This is home to gorgeous sandstone escarpments, rugged canyons and limestone peaks that draw 1.3 million visitors to neighboring Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area each year. This wilderness is a component of the Bureau of Land Management's National Conservation Lands.

Bureau of Land Management Photo Credit: Sendi Kalcic Southern Nevada District Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NV 89103 http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.1.html Size: 47,180 acres Elevation Range: 3,600 - 9,600 feet Designation: Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 BLM La Madre Mountain Wilderness Area Description The La Madre Mountain Wilderness, dominated by its namesake range, La Madre Mountain, is one of the largest wilderness areas in southern Nevada. A classic example of both basin and range formation and thrust faults, the geology of the La Madre Mountain Wilderness features a breathtaking array of canyons, ridges, and mountain peaks sprawled across 47,180 acres just west of Las Vegas. Portions of this vast wilderness are within Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service, respectively. With an elevation range spanning 6,000 feet, the La Madre Mountain Wilderness supports a wide variety of plant and animal life. The higher elevations, topping out at 9,600 feet above sea level, provide crucial summer habitats for bighorn sheep, mule deer, and a small herd of elk seeking refuge from the scorching heat of the lower desert. A number of prehistoric sites can be found here as well, including pictographs, petroglyphs, agave roasting pits and rock shelters. Brownstone Basin’s high concentration and variety of cultural resources, including rare multicolored pictographs, earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Directions The La Madre Mountain Wilderness is about 28 miles west of downtown Las Vegas. Red Rock Scenic Loop Drive approaches the wilderness from the southeast. Lovell Canyon Road provides access from the southwest, continuing east on Rocky Gap Road to La Madre Spring, where the road meets the Scenic Loop Drive. From the north, visitors can reach the wilderness by taking Kyle Canyon Road to Harris Spring Road or Barricade Road. Road conditions vary. Recreation The La Madre Mountain Wilderness provides a stunning stage for hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, wildlife viewing and camping. Hunting is allowed with proper licensing; however, target practice is prohibited. Motorized vehicles, mechanized equipment, and mechanical transport are not permitted in designated wilderness. Southern Nevada District Office Maps USGS 7.5 Quadrangle Maps: Grapevine Spring, Tule Springs Park, La Madre Spring, La Madre Mountain, Mountain Springs, and Blue Diamond. Additional Information • Please limit group sized to 12 members. • Maximum length of stay: 14 days • Camping is prohibited within one quarter mile of springs and riparian areas. • No rock climbing within 50 feet of petroglyphs and pictographs. • Target shooting is prohibited. • Other than incidental browsing, riding and pack stock animals may be fed only packed-in, certified, weed-free feed. • Non-commercial hunting and trapping is permitted subject to applicable state regulation. • Alteration of any rock surfaces by gluing, chipping, and chiseling is not allowed. Photo Credit: Sendi Kalcic No warranty is made by the Bureau of Land Management as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data for individual use or aggregate use with other data. Original data were compiled from various sources. This information may not meet National Map Accuacy standards. This product was developed through digital means and may be updated without notification. Southern Nevada District Office N BLM La Madre Mountain Wilderness 

La Madre Wilderness Area Rock Climbing Inventory Statistics: Area: Walls Routes Bolts Anchors La Madre North 3 24 136 22 Kraft Mt./Gateway Canyon 18 102 312 57 White Rock Springs 4 23 15 7 Willow Springs East 3 11 13 1 The Promised Land 3 24 129 14 31 184 605 101 TOTAL: 167/184 routes field verified – 90% 7 new routes not found in literature Route information and locations were identified based upon information gathered from www.climbingredrocks.com and all six guidebooks: Islands in the Sky, Las Vegas Limestone, Red Rock Canyon: A Climbing Guide, Rock Climbing: Red Rocks, Red Rocks Climbing, and Red Rock Odyssey. Six new routes were discovered that were not mentioned in the literature review. This included one fixed line that provided access to the Upper Ledge of The Promised Land. The climbs at the Angel Food Wall (White Rock Springs) and at White Rock Springs Peak were not field verifiable for bolt and anchor counts. Also, hardware data for two routes at Kraft Rocks Upper Tier and The Cave (The Promised Land) was not able to be field verified from the ground. Hardware data was collected and verified by field observations for all of the remaining climbs in the La Madre Wilderness Area. LaMadre North Rock climbing inventory statistics: Wall: Test Site Area 51 Dreamland TOTAL: # of Routes 11 10 3 # of Bolts # of Anchors 56 63 17 24 136 24/24 routes field verified – 100% 1 new route not found in literature. 10 9 3 22 Route information and locations were identified based upon information gathered from the Islands in the Sky (pgs. 101-105) climbing guide. Exact bolt and anchor counts were obtained for all routes by field survey. La Madre North Access: To reach the climbing areas at La Madre North a four-wheel drive vehicle with good clearance is recommended. Drive down Hwy. 157 approximately 7 miles until you reach a left turn just past Scottie Street on the right. Take this dirt road until it turns into a 4x4 road that parallels a wash. Continue on the 4x4 road until a steep track leads you down into the wash. Follow the wash to the northeast for about 2 miles to a narrow section next to another wash that branches out to the south. This is the access to the Test Site. Reach the crag by hiking up the wash and meandering over desert terrain to the prominent cliff band to the southeast. Approximately 0.25 miles past this point is another side gully (fig. 1) leading to the south. Follow this branch up and into a series of canyons to reach Area 51. Finally, 0.5 miles further down the main wash is a pair of gullies that allow access to Dreamland. Hike up the gully on the right a short ways before scrambling up and onto flat desert terrain. Head for the cave set back into the hillside to the south. Fig. 1 (left): Side gully accessing Area 51. The climbing is found by hiking up the wash in the foreground to the lowest branch of the canyon seen in the middle of the picture. Fig. 2 (right): Access to Dreamland is up the gully to the right. The steeper gully to the right turns into a box canyon. Dreamland is the dark cave in the center of the picture between the two gullies. La Madre North Test Site: Fig. 1 (below): This long wall can be seen in the distance from the wash where you park. Hike up a gully from the main wash and then continue across desert terrain until you reach the wall. Routes Bolts Anchors 11 56 10 100% field verified 1 new route not found in literature Test Site Boulder: Fig. 2 (left): This boulder has one route on it and is located just below the main Test Site wall at the far southwest end. La Madre North Area 51: Fig. 1 (below): This large area is found in a series of canyons that can be viewed from the main wash to the northeast of Test Site. More climbs can be found around and up to the right of this picture. A raptor nest was discovered at this crag. Routes Bolts Anchors 10 63 9 100% field verified Dreamland: Fig. 2 (below/left): This cave is the last crag at the northeast end of the La Madre North area and can just barely be seen from the main wash. Routes Bolts Anchors 3 17 3 100% field verified Kraft Mountain and Gateway Canyon Rock Climbing Inventory Statistics: Wall: # of Routes # of Bolts # of Anchors Kraft Rocks Lower Tier 5 1 0 Kraft Rocks Upper Tier 6 2 1 Kraft Rocks Unknown Wall 4 2 0 The Mall (The Playground) 16 44 9 Conundrum Crag 4 15 3 Family Crag 4 20 3 The Garbled Mass (Swirly Cliff) 1 0 0 Cop Crag (Swirly Cliff) 4 21 4 Cannabis Crag 10 53 12 Cannabis Crag West 2 0 0 Winter Heat Wall 14 27 6 Sunny and Steep Wall 16 101 14 Golden Nugget Boulder 2 7 2 Judgment Day Crag 4 10 2 Chunder Bolt Wall 1 9 1 Atman Crag East 3 0 0 Atman Crag West 4 0 0 Meyers Cracks 2 0 0 102 312 57 TOTAL: 100/102 routes field verified – 98% 4 new routes not found in literature Route information and locations were identified based upon information