I have been eyeing Little Aspen since we spent a day last year trekking Aspen Butte right next to it. From the road I wasn't sure if it would be possible because mostly it was just lava outcropping that I didn't really want to hike in. After doing some research with satelitte images we decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed. It was a nice hike, a little over a mile to the summit, with no significant barriers. Some rock, some brush, some areas of downed timber, but nothing significant. No trail of course so just zigzagged through choosing clear path that was still going up. A nice trek in the Winema NF. Within some of the lava fields there are even patches of "little aspen". The summit is forested, long and flat with a couple high points. Plenty of room and choices to set up at.
I have learned when hiking these volcanic summits to pick a place to hike up that is 50-100 yards in from the lava outcropping. Makes for smoother sailing and shade. We took the road until we were at a good starting point at the N-NW side of the mountain, at the saddle between Aspen and Little Aspen, starting between two large lava outcroppings. So far this strategy has gotten me up some beautiful mountains in S. OR. The view from Little Aspen summit is broken with tall timber but if you walk out to the giant boulders at the top of the NNW boulder field you will have a great view of Aspen Butte and other mountains north. We didn't climb to see if we could find a window to view Klamath area but I bet it is possible. This is definitely a FA I will go back to. I really enjoyed this mountain.
Take Clover Cr Rd until you reach RD 3828 (opposite Spencer Cr Rd which has a large sign). Take this road out for about 7 miles until you reach the saddle between Aspen and Little Aspen. There is a spur road just before the saddle to the left which is where we went to start our hike up Aspen Butte also, it is a tougher, longer hike but outstanding views.
de AG7GP
