The Kleine Steina rises at about between the Schindelkopf mountain and the Spießerklippe crags on the ridge of Auf dem Acker. It initially flows in a westerly direction, but later swings south before emptying into the River Sieber near the small settlement of Aschenhütte, not far from the mouth of the Große Steinau. In the upper reaches of the Kleine Steinau it is also called the Schindelgraben, although it is not clear from the maps at which point the name changes.