La Madre Wash Loop (with Cactus Hill) - 4/22/25

Small Slot in La Madre Wash

Prickly Pear Cactus on Cactus Hill

White Sandstone in White Rock Wash

Keystone Thrust escarpment from near Cactus Hill

A few weeks ago, some club members set out to do the Keystone Wash / La Madre Wash Loop. However, not too long into the hike, the wind whipped up and we made the decision to abort the complete loop by returning to the cars from the thrust fault area. On the hike written up in this entry, we completed the loop and added a couple of interesting spurs. First, we drove up to the White Mountain Road Upper Trailhead reducing the hike by almost a mile. Then, we began the hike by going back down the dirt road to a vague trail that turned left. This "trail" crossed over to an old road that is barely there among the blackbrush anymore. Turning to the left again, we followed it up a desert ridge, intersected with the official Keystone Thrust Trail, turned right and climbed up to the agave roasting pit that sits on a curve to the right.

Joining the Keystone Thrust Trail

Susan and Rita on Cactus Hill

Red Rock escarpment with White Rock Hills

Cacti on Cactus Hill

The familiar trail climbed up toward the junction with a descent trail that takes hikers down to the above ground thrust fault. Just before the junction, we turned right onto a short trail that ascends Cactus Hill, a small hill that rises above the thrust fault area. This hill affords fabulous views of the Red Rock Canyon area. We took a few photos and returned to the main trail where we stepped over some rocks and continued climbing an old trail up a long ridge that heads toward the La Madre Mountains and a double arch. Our climb was very slow but we enjoyed it!

Thrust Fault below and Turtlehead Peak Above

The long ridge climb on La Madre Double Arch Trail

Agave Roasting Pit Junction

Dipping into the La Madre Wash (view up wash)

It seems that every time I do the transition to the left where we cross down to the La Madre Wash, I choose a different route. This time was no different. The problem comes when it is time to drop into the wash from the embankment. Finally, we found a decent place to drop in and we found rocks on which to sit and have a break. The view up wash gave the La Madre Mountains. Down wash was a beautiful limestone gravel wash with the Red Rock escarpment in the distance. The fun La Madre Wash has a few easy scrambles and small narrow sections so it "keeps you on your toes!" The first challenge is a seven foot dry fall that requires hikers to go up and around to the right. After a couple more small challenges, hikers reach a very nice narrows slot.

La Madre Wash (view down Wash)

Some narrows in La Madre Wash

Rita on the Precipice

Kay looking for Handholds

This challenge is also a drop of about seven feet which you can choose to do a couple of different ways. If you wish to go around the scramble, try the left side. All three of us made it down the drop in one way or another. A little further on, the La Madre Wash deltas into the White Rock Wash at the base of White Rock Hills. Curving to the left, the white sandstone wash offers a few beautiful scrambles. We took many photos of the wash and, finally reached the old trail junction. This junction has now been changed. Instead of climbing up the rocky area, hikers must continue down wash a little further and turn right. It is clearly marked. Most likely, the old trail was becoming too eroded. No worries. The new one is a little easier! The three lady hikers had a great and beautiful day!

Stats: 4 miles; 1075' gain; 3.75 hours

Susan and Rita checking out the scramble Down

Rita enjoying the white sandstone Wash

White Rock Wash

Butterfly Loop - 4/20/25

Ebb 'n' Flow Trail

Canyon #5 Trail Above

Transition to Goatroper Trail from Canyon #5

Lower part of Goatroper Trail

The Butterfly Loop is a very pleasant 4.5 mile hike utilizing a few of the bike trails in the Blue Diamond area. Four hikers began at the Wheeler Camp Springs Trailhead located between the entrance to Blue Diamond and the gated entrance to Oliver Ranch on SR 159. We crossed the road and followed the trail down into the wide wash to the right. This is Canyon #5. The trail took us up to the left rim of the wash and we hiked through the deep canyon mid-rim. The canyon takes a curve to the right and we followed trails to climb up to the left putting us on the lower end of the Goatroper. Using a few wiggles, the Goatroper bike trail continues a gradual climb up to the top of the desert ridge in view ahead.

Lady Hikers

View down to Cottonwood Valley

Goatroper Trail

Approach to Goatroper Saddle

After the last long slow climb, we reached the "saddle" where we took our break. The Goatroper continues along the ridge for another 6 miles but, after our break, we found the burro trail that leads down to the "Canyon #6" on the other side of the ridge. The burro trail took us diagonally down to intersect with Ebb 'n' Flow. This bike trail has beautiful views as well. It circles around the end of the ridges and above the road. The trail, itself, is a lot of fun! It crosses the desert undulating through the terrain and, finally, back to the Canyon #5 trail closing the loop. The four of us had a wonderful Easter morning on this hike enjoying the desert landscape, a few flowers and cotton on all the cotton-top barrel cacti!

Taking a break on Goatroper Saddle

Forming a trail down from saddle to Ebb 'n' Flow Trail & Canyon #6

Ebb 'n' Flow Trail

Circling the hills on Ebb 'n' Flow

Walking out the wash trail, we saw two burros just hanging out. When they saw us, they continued their stroll across the wash and up the hill on the other side. One of the burros nervously eyed us at the last few meters but, finally, decided we were not a threat! The Lady Hikers were great company, had a lot of fun and always had interesting things to say!

Stats: 4.5 miles; 850' gain; 3 hours

Ebb 'n' Flow descent Challenge

Canyon #5 Wash

Two burros in Canyon #5 Wash

Bridge Mountain - 4/16/25

Bridge Mountain (R) from Approach

Hikers under the Bridge on Bridge Mountain

Getting There

Starting the Scramble Descent

Cheryl in her Element

Seven hikers met at the Willow Springs Picnic area to get into two 4x4s. We proceeded up Rocky Gap road. There seemed to be several spots where the road had improved since the last time we had gone up the road. But there were several spots where the road had deteriorated. It was still one of the worst roads we have driven on with our 4x4. It took us a little over one hour to drive 4.7 miles up to the Bridge Mountain trail head.

Photos: Bruno, Terri, Jerry and Cheryl

Chuck uses a nearby Tree

The Scramble Descent to Base of Peak

The Crack Climb (crack to left of indicated)

The Bridge Area

The Bridge Area

We got out and checked our tires and then started up the trail. We hiked up the trail to the crest of the limestone ridge and then started down the other side with Bridge Mountain coming into view. Approaching from the trail the view of our route up the crack to the arch seems almost impossibly vertical. We pointed out the route to the one newbie who had not climbed the mountain before.

On top of the Bridge

Climbing out of the Bridge Well

Hiking down to pass Hidden Forest (R)

Circling the Sandstone Slab

The Summit Well

We crossed from the limestone into the sandstone and took a short break at the Fern Canyon overlook. Only one hiker decided to crawl on their belly to get a close look at the drop off. The rest of us stayed well back. After the break we started following the well cairned route through the sandstone, scrambling up and down solid sandstone slabs and chutes.

The Summit Block

First part of Descent

Tinaja near the Bridge

Over the hump to gain the top of the Bridge

Crossing the Bridge

Finally, we reached the flat neck of sandstone that forms a land bridge to the base of the crack. We took another break before we continued up the crack. We took the standard route up the crack which actually goes up and out of the crack about a third of the way up onto the right hand ridge. The climbing here is all class 3. Everyone made it up safely and we climbed up the short distance to the arch. After a number of photos were taken we continued up and around the hidden forest and up the steep slabs of the peak itself. We finally reached the peak after 3 hours. We took a break and several more photos and then returned the way we came. On the way down we hiked on top of the arch. We reached the cars after 6 hours and 45 minutes. It would take us another hour to get back to Willow Springs.  ~Jerry

Stats for the hike: 6 3/4 hours, 2800 ft elevation gain, 6.6 miles.

Negotiating the Crack Descent

Climbing the Scrambles

Resting among the Scrambles

One more to Go!