I had been wanting to return to the Emigrant Wilderness for years now, having done two trips here previously. My plan this time was to hike further east in a straightforward loop trail, visiting several lakes along the way.  I entered the Wilderness on a Monday and hiked out on a Friday. In spite of the close proximity of this wilderness to the San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento, I only saw a few other hikers, and had a couple of lakes to myself in the evening. The weather was great and the hiking relatively easy. 
Emigrant Wilderness Loop Backpack: Crabtree Trailhead to Emigrant Lake
The trail was well-maintained with the alpine granite  typical of the Sierras.
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The first day's backpack was 9.1 mi / 14.6 km from Crabtree Trailhead to Paiute Lake. Another hiker passed me on the way into the wilderness, but I had the Paiute Lake campsites to myself. 
The next day's backpack was shorter, only 5.7 mi / 9.2 km from Paiute Lake to Buck Lake, but with scenic views at peaceful Gem Lake, Jewelry Lake, and Deer Lake along the way.
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Gem Lake
Jewelry Lake
Deer Lake
Buck Lake
I had set aside the third day for a day hike to Emigrant Lake, before returning to camp to pack up and head for Wood Lake, just a few miles southeast on the trail. I was glad I wasn't hauling a loaded backpack over the pass to Emigrant Lake. 
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At higher elevation, Emigrant Lake had less trees and a few patches of snow.
After a peaceful overnight on a cliff overlooking Wood Lake, I started the next day with a short hike south to Karls Lake, before returning to pack up and hike west. Karls lake was peaceful, and the Leighton lakes further south beckoned for another trip.  The trail west was hot, dry, and dusty. Although mostly downhill, it was quite rocky, with no lakes to break up the scenery. Thinking the distance to the trailhead was further, I elected to stay at Grouse Lake in the late afternoon.  This is not a campsite I would recommend at all: Grouse Lake is choked with lilypads, and cows with noisy cowbells are everywhere, as are the cowpies! I was so concerned about the water that I filtered, added a chlorine dioxide tab, and boiled.  I was a bit tired or I would have pressed south to the Chain Lakes.  Knowing I had a bit of a climb back to the trailhead in the morning, I was satisfied with making the best of this site. 
Karls Lake
​The dry, rocky trail west. I much preferred the two northern trails in the Emigrant Wilderness!
This was a delightful trip that I would highly recommend. The trail is moderate and the scenery plentiful, particularly for the northern trails that go to Deer / Buck Lakes   and Emigrant Lake.  I passed lots of friendly folks entering the Wilderness on the Friday that I hiked out, so weekdays offer the best solitude.  If I returned, I would focus on the off-trail lakes to the south and further east, perhaps with a different entry point. 
Photographs by Cris Lewis, Olympus TG-2