Sight · Yosemite National Park
A lake beneath Mount Hoffmann, reached by a steady uphill walk.
Overview
May Lake is a high-country lake below Mount Hoffmann, reached by a short forest-and-granite trail from a parking area off Tioga Road. It’s a good choice if you want an alpine lake without committing to the summit. From the parking area, the National Park Service lists 2.4 miles round trip, 485 feet of gain and one to two hours when the spur road is open. The path climbs steadily; it’s short, but not a stroll from the car.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile lake hikeMap
Plan your stop
“You're nearing May Lake Trailhead, a good choice for an alpine lake beneath Mount Hoffmann without a full-day hike.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
May Lake and Mount Hoffmann“You're nearing May Lake Trailhead, a good choice for an alpine lake beneath Mount Hoffmann without a full-day hike.”
Plays as you drive up to May Lake in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
The route passes through conifer forest, crosses granite slabs and opens to views of Half Dome and Clouds Rest. At the lake, take the shore path on the east side just north of the High Sierra Camp for Mount Hoffmann above the water. That’s the picture to make here: leave some lake in the foreground so the mountain has scale.
The May Lake parking area is 1.75 miles north of Tioga Road on an unpaved spur. The spur can close depending on conditions, especially in early summer; if it does, add 1.75 miles of walking each way before the lake trail. Tioga Road is seasonal, typically opening in late May or early June and closing sometime in October or November, so check the road status before setting out. There’s a vault toilet at the trailhead parking area, before the hike.
Surveyor and cartographer Charles Frederick Hoffmann named the lake for Lucy Mayotta Browne, his future wife; they married in 1870. The peak above carries Hoffmann’s name, too. He was part of the Whitney survey of the Sierra Nevada in the 1860s.
The lake is the turn-around for a short outing. Continuing to Mount Hoffmann makes it a much longer, more demanding hike, about six miles round trip in a route guide. The High Sierra Camp beside the lake is separate reservation lodging, with meals for overnight guests rather than a public lunch stop.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateMay Lake Trail2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayA high granite climb to a lake under Mount Hoffmann.ChallengingMount Hoffmann Trail5.6 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayA high-country scramble above May Lake to Yosemite's geographic center.
ModeratePolly Dome Lakes Trail6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayUnmarked spur leads through granite and forest to lakes below Polly Dome.
ChallengingHigh Sierra Camp Loop48.2 mi · 1.7 days · 1.8 mi awayFive camps and high passes on a 48-mile Yosemite circuit.
ModerateSunrise Lakes Trail7 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayThree high-country lakes after a rocky switchback climb.
ChallengingClouds Rest Trail14 mi · 9 hr · 1.8 mi awayA higher vantage on Half Dome, earned over a long exposed day.ChallengingSunrise High Sierra Camp Trail10.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayHigh lakes, a mountain saddle, and a meadow camp.
EasyTenaya Lake Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.9 mi awayA level south-shore walk beneath Tenaya Peak
Lodging · At the trailheadMay Lake High Sierra CampA backcountry bed and meal beneath Mount Hoffmann.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayTenaya LakeClear water, granite peaks, and an easy lakeshore stop.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayOlmsted PointHalf Dome from another angle, framed by glacially carried boulders.
Sight · 4.2 mi awayCathedral LakesTwo high lakes, bare granite shelves, and Cathedral Peak overhead.
Picnic area · 4.5 mi awayYosemite Creek Picnic AreaA quiet, pine-shaded picnic beside Yosemite Creek.Lodging · 4.7 mi awaySunrise High Sierra CampA meadow-side overnight with tent cabins and meals at 9,400 feet.
Campground · 4.8 mi awayPorcupine Flat CampgroundAn 8,100-foot base for Tioga Road's high-country stops.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
