Trip report
Nov 9, 2019 — The high point of the Sierra Estrella Range, also locally known also as Hayes Peak, is located just south of Phoenix. Though the high point of the range, there's a trail leading to another peak called Quartz Peak farther south in the range, which attracts more visitation than the true Sierra Estrella High Point. I opted to do this route today, realizing Quartz Peak didn't even have enough prominence to be a true "peak". The road leading to the trailhead was very sandy and I highly recommend 4WD to get through it. The road to reach the trailhead is called Riggs Road, but Google won't navigate using this road, so ignore the GPS. There are sporadic signs reading "Trail", but this is referring to the Quartz Peak Trailhead. At the end of Riggs Road, I turned north on a road that was rocky and poor, but I risked it with my car and made it to the unmarked trailhead, except of course by countless bullet casings because people who like to shoot guns apparently don't like to clean up after themselves. Cars with poor tires likely would want to start before driving this spur road.
From the trailhead, I wandered through the desert, eventually locating a wash that allowed for easier access through the desert. A minor ridge materialized to the north of the wash, which I followed. I decided to take the gully to the southeast of my chosen ascent ridge on my way back down, which you'll see in my attached map. The ridge was pretty fun, with lots of Class 2 scrambling and the occasional easy Class 3 move. If you feel lost or cliffed-out, keep to the south side, where the ridge is less steep and rocky. Eventually, Sierra Estrella High Point came into view, only a bit more Class 2 on a less steep ridge between me and the peak. There were all sorts of messy radio towers on the summit, but the views south toward the rest of the Sierra Estrella Mountains were nice.
On the way down, I dropped off the ridge to explore the gully. It went fine, with some Class 3 downclimbs and pretty slickrock sections. I'd recommend going up the ridge and descending the wash for some variety.