La Madre (South)

Description 

The La Madre range consists of low-elevation limestone cliffs that are located very close to town. These cliffs are great for an afternoon climbing session, or an all day outing. There is a good diversity of difficulty ranges (5.8-5.13) found at the La Madre cliffs, and the rock quality is good, albeit VERY sharp in some places. However, don't let this deter you from climbing some of these lines, as some of the routes are GREAT!

The best time of year to climb at La Madre is from late fall to late spring, as the summer can be unbearably hot. Taking the extreme temperature changes of the desert into account, you can climb in the early morning or late evening so long as you avoid the direct sun.

NOTE: There has been A LOT of recent construction out near these cliffs. Be careful not to trespass on the property of the nice new housing developers out there...

NOTE #2: Much of the information included in this description was derived from the guidebook "Islands In The Sky," written by Dan McQuade, Randy Leavitt, and Mick Ryan. Proper credit should be given to these authors. If you find yourself climbing at these crags frequently, I would encourage you to pick up this guide, as it is excellent!

Getting There 

All of these cliffs are locates on the south escarpment of the La Madre Range of hills and mountains, in the northwest corner of Las Vegas. The significant landmark is the solitary Lone Mountain. As the included cliffs have various approaches you will need to look at the individual cliff descriptions to determine the best way of reaching the climbs. Most of these cliffs can be reached using a normal vehicle, but some may require high-clearance.