Quartz Peak Trail is extremely steep and difficult to follow in places. This is a hike for experienced and well-conditioned hikers only! The trail begins at Quartz Peak Trailhead by following a closed four-wheel-drive track approximately 1/4 mile. Look to the left as you walk up the old road and see a narrow trail ascending the ridge to the north (see map below). The trail is poorly marked in places and does not extend to the summit--the final 1/4 mile to Quartz Peak is a scramble over boulder and talus slopes that requires careful footing. Quartz Peak is a point on the spine of the Sierra Estrella capped with an outcrop of white quartz.
Quartz Peak is accessed from Rainbow Valley and Riggs Roads in Rainbow Valley, approximately 25 miles southwest of Phoenix. See the map below for mileages and directions.
http://www.tripleblaze.com/trail.php?c=3&i=8105