I did hikes on some of the more lightly used east side trails:
Golden Trout Lake:
Some snow banks starting at 10500', but terrain is dry again further up. No bad stream crossings. This is especially scenic if you loop around on the ridge south of the trail, to see the smaller lakes in the same basin, rejoining the trail at the canyon forks at 10900'. Plenty of pretty blue ice. I saw only one other hiker on Sun. afternoon.
Baxter Pass Trail:
I checked out the first mile. The second stream crossing is a wet one. The only traffic I saw in the area were 2 DWP trucks (I must work for the wrong city department...I never get to go to the mountains during work hours).
Sardine Canyon:
The old mining road is down to a trail in some areas. Constant talus, a barren landscape and windy conditions make the top seem higher than its 10500' elevation. Various pieces of mining debris at around 7700' and near the top. Snow banks as low as 8200'. I didn't meet anyone the entire day, but didn't expect to, as few bother to stop at the unmarked start of this route from Onion Valley Road.
The Onion Valley parking lot was 20% full on Sun. night and plenty of camping sites to choose from. Very nice weather with the temperature in the upper 40s. I got up at 5 in the morning (early for me), and I didn't see anyone stirring for the first hour. There was only a fingerful of skeeters during the 2 days.
A few photos:
Onion Valley area photos 
