Aspen Butte 9-17-25

Photos by Francie

On Wednesday we had 2 new hikers join our group making it 5 people who came out to hike Aspen Butte from the Clover Creek Trailhead. We started at 9:20 AMand it was 57°

The trail starts out gradual as we head through the forest. Most of the flowers are no longer in bloom. After 2.2 miles we turn right and head up the Clover Cut Off trail. From here the trail is not maintained as much as the first part of the hike. There were some downed trees and we had to pay attention to where the trail was. Eventually, we connected with the Mountain Lakes Loop Trail.

We continue along and head over to the ridge and take a break and check out Harriette Lake and can see the Crater Lake Rim and Mount Thielsen. We also take out our peak finding apps and identify Mount Carmine, Mount Harriman and Pelican Butte.

We continue on the trail for about a mile as we make our way up to the summit of Aspen Butte. The views are spectacular. We can see Mount McLoughlin, the Crater Lake Rim, Mount Thielsen, Klamath Lake, Mystic Lake and Mount Shasta. We enjoyed the views and ate our lunches. Maria K brought chocolate to share.

We headed back down the way we came and the trail was easier to see on the way down. We arrived back at our cars a little before 4:30 PM. We had hiked 10.96 miles and gained 2,573 feet of elevation.