Nestled down south in the massive Estrella Mountain range lies the only trail up to any of it's peaks, the Quartz Peak Trail.
It was a busy day, with about 10 other people starting out on the hike when we got to the trailhead. We expected to be the only ones in this remote area, but the weather was beautiful and the mountains must have called. We decided we would have a pre hike beer while we waited for the other group to get ahead of us. Ken checked out the facilities that the desert had to offer...
The trail starts out as a half mile path from the parking lot to the mountain, then rises incredibly steep up the ridge line. One of the hikers in the group in front of us was wearing an orange sweatshirt. Seeing it up ahead was intimidating, we were about to begin to climb that high. It is a 3 mile total hike to the top, but the 2,500 feet in elevation gain takes place in about 2.5 miles!
The trail consists of short switchbacks that cross back and forth over a steep spider ridge until you get to the main ridge of the Estrella mountain range. With each step you are higher on the mountain. There is a lot of exposure that takes a little while to get used to!
2.5 miles into the hike, when you are on the main ridge line, the trail fades away due to the steep and rocky landscape. In the last half mile expect to use your hands as it turns into more of a "climb" than a "hike." Follow the large rock carins that mark the best way to the top. Even without the presence of a trail, route finding is no problem with the carins that have been set up. At this point you can see the giant slab of Quartz at the top looming over you like something out of this world.
Getting up to the final Quartz slab at the very top requires about a 6 to 7 foot near vertical rock climb. If you are uncomfortable doing this, it will not hinder the view - but it sure was worth it to touch the cold white stones that made up the peak.
Stepping up to the top of this mountain is an amazing experience. The whole hike takes place on the south western corner of the Estrella's, in other words - the middle of nowhere! Looking over the ridge at the top has views of the entire valley! Downtown Phoenix, the amazingly tiny South Mountain, Camelback, Squaw Peak, the McDowells, Superstitions, Mazatals, Papago, all in the distance. You can distinctly see Awatukee and the Gila River basin as well. Just incredible! Looking south and west you can see the Maricopa Mountains, Buckeye Hills, and the rest of the rugged landscape that surrounds the valley of the sun. It was a great time to sit at the top, enjoy the views, drink a beer, and have a snack! It took us an hour and a half to get to the top, we were able to pass every other hiker on the trail in the group that started before us.
After our break enjoying the views at the summit it was time to start our trek back down. It was slow going at first, we took caution hiking back down the scramble section we endured on the way up. There was a lot of use of hands. I even did some sliding on my rear end. It didn't take too long and surprisingly was not as difficult or slow going as I expected. We were relived though, once the first half mile of the descent was complete and the trail started again on the spider ridge line.
We stopped to have a second beer at this point, at a little flat spot before the trail started again. We were out to have some fun, enjoy ourselves and the nature - all during working hard.
After our quick break we began the main descent. It was quick going and we used a jog/hike technique to get us down the hill fast. I cannot even describe how much fun this was. We ended up making it back down to the trailhead in a total time of 3 hours, with a moving time of 2hrs and 4 minutes. Not bad for a hike that suggests 4-5 hours of allotted time! Our total moving descent over 3 miles was only 40 minutes!
Once back at the trailhead we celebrated with a final beverage, then made our way back to civilization.
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