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6861 Hits
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72.08% Score
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2 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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42.31600°N / 122.086°W |
Route Type:
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Hiking |
Season:
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Summer |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Difficulty:
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Walk-Up |
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Getting There
Option 1. To find the Clover Creek Trailhead you first find Hwy 140 that connects Klamath Falls with White City. Just east of Lake of the Woods is Dead Indian Memorial Road that runs down to Ashland. Turn on Dean Indian Road and go 8.2 miles from Hwy 140, past Lake of the Woods, to Clover Creek Road. Turn left or east on Clover Creek Road and go another 8.3 miles to the signed turnoff for Clover Creek Trailhead. Turn left here, and follow this road about 4.0 miles to the trailhead.Route Description
This is the shortest hike to Aspen Butte and it is accessed from the Clover Creek Trailhead. The trail is mostly through a forest canopy without any extensive views. The trailhead is well marked and easy to find. Follow the trail up Clover Creek about 3.3 miles until you are just east of Clover Lake. There is a trail junction coming in from the right here and you have to turn right and head up this trail.Follow this trail another 1.8 miles to another junction. You should be at a saddle where the trail you are on descends into the Mountain Lakes Wilderness basin. Do not go down into the basin. Aspen Butte is up the trail to your right. This trail is less defined but generally follows the ridgeline up to the summit of Aspen Butte. This last bit of trail is about .9 mile to the summit. There are good views from the summit to the north and east.
Total distance to the summit is about 6.0 miles with about a 2,800ft elevation gain. For a scenic hike back to the Clover Creek Trailhead, return to where the trail drops down into the Mountain Lakes Wilderness basin and follow the trail down. Pass several lakes and the trails from the other trailheads before meeting back up with the Clover Creek Trail at Clover Lake. This will add about 5 miles and 1,400 ft of elevation gain to your hike.