Planning a 3-4 day loop in the Kings Peak area for summer. I hear that Henrys Fork gets a little crowded. Is this still the best TH for Kings? Also, has anyone traversed from Emmons to Kings? It looks do-able on the map, but want to know if anyone has done so successfully. Other good areas nearby that would offer similar terrain?

I came close to doing the emmons-kings ridge one time. missed a little section between south kings and one of the no-name peaks above timothy lakes due to a snowstorm. It is definitely do-able, I think there is a SP page on it. I've done king's 3 times now always from Henry's. every other approach is so much longer. if you camp just about anywhere else but dollar lake you will only see people on the trail.

Here's a link to the page...

http://www.summitpost.org/route/160824/kings-emmons-ridge.html

I would recommend going past Dollar Lake and camping in Painter Basin. Like Mountainal said, Dollar Lake is packed with people. Painter Basin will give you a great chance at solitude and put you a little closer to Kings to finish the rest of the route.

Thanks for the beta. I've been doing a bit more research and am now leaning towards hiking the Highline Trail from east to west. Looks like a great 6-7 day trip.

I'm planning a Highline Trail E-W this summer too, and having a hard time sorting out a shuttle back to my car. Please reply or PM me with any suggestions...One catch - I'm hiking with my dog.

Keep in mind that the "skeeters" will be out in full force at any High Uinta lake.

The crowds seem to congregate at the larger-sized lakes for the purpose of catching fish.

The loop i did was 4 days and i highly highly highly recommmend it. Start from China Basin trailhead, which is just a bit west of the Henry's Fork trailhead. Hike south to Red Castle Lake, Upper Red Castle Lake, etc. There is a small off-trail hike to the south from there, but it's not too hard. It put's you over a pass and then hooks up with a trail heading northeast towards King's Peak. From the peak you can head down the rockslide, xcountry a bit to Henry's Fork, and then follow the trails for a no-backtrack loop almost the entire way back to China Basin.