"Very pleasant and surprisingly fun hike! Went out intending to just check out the conditions: OHV roads, trail, snow, temps, etc. No snow. Didn't intend to summit La Madre or El Padre, but conditions were great so I just kept going and summited both, plus Barricade Peak on the way back! Would have liked to have hiked more along the ridgeline (Burnt, Bastardo, etc.), but knew I had a long hike back. Another day. Really fun bouldery scramble up a gully in the last 0.4 miles to La Madre, most of the trail through a wash (which I didn't expect), and rock not too loose or bad the last 0.2 miles getting to the summit. Wasn't what I expected - I had heard how hard this route is. Granted, I did the 'easier' north route. Parked at Twilight Zone trailhead on Kyle Canyon Rd. Hiked to Mike Alcorn trailhead for La Madre north approach. Then to La Padre, used a different gully to descend from base of La Padre, not nearly as many boulders to scramble, then rejoined the wash. From Mike Alcorn, headed offtrail to summit Barricade, then descended and found a wash to follow back to Prospect Springs Rd. Distance and elevation estimated - I turned off GPS at times to save battery because the route was..." — tracyt • Mar 26, 2026

"More recovery, three days after a kidney stone and muscle pulled in back. The fun never ends. I would not advise starting where I did, unless you have a vehicle with 4low. The road is not that bad, except for a torn-up steep downhill (on the way in), and that was interesting on the drive out." — hwstock • May 3, 2025

"3.26.2022~La Madre & Barricade Peak from the north w/Jimmy. 10 miles, 3,500’ gain, 6:55hrs. We haven’t hiked together in a long time so it was nice to get off the grid. Not sure he agreed but he went anyway. I cheered him up along the way with, breaks, sandwiches & snacks. This was my 3rd time up and 1st from Harris Springs Rd. We had the Kia so we didn’t drive any farther than that. The ridge is rough and a bit of a bushwhack then turns into steep slabs and a short knifey part. We saw remnant snow, a giant avalanche scar, an agave roasting pit, a black lizard & historic piles of cans. It was warm but strong breezes refreshed us. “Your Mom”" — paula.raimondi • Mar 26, 2022