If you're not familiar with the trails out of Horseshoe Meadow, be warned - the first mile or two is in ridiculously soft sand and takes a helluva lot more energy for each step than most places you might hike. I thought I was at a 2-mile high beach. Once you start climbing out of the meadow, though, the trails firm up a bit.
Funny you mentioned this, as this was exactly why I was looking for an alternative to Cottonwood Lakes this year! But doesn't seem to be anything else that allows you to hike to 11K without much elevation gain - at least nothing within an hour's drive of Lone Pine.
