Yosemite National Park, CA
A high granite climb to a lake under Mount Hoffmann.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
“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 trailhead
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 this trailhead 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.”
Trail guide
May Lake Trail is a 2.4-mile out-and-back from the May Lake parking area to the lake and back along the same route. Plan on one to two hours and about 485 feet of climbing. It’s a good way to reach a true alpine lake without taking on a full-day hike, though the trail starts around 8,850 feet and the altitude can make this short climb feel harder than the mileage suggests.
The path rises through conifer forest, then crosses granite slabs on a steady climb. The footing turns uneven over the bare rock, but the route is short. As you gain height, views open toward Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and the surrounding peaks.
May Lake sits below Mount Hoffmann’s pale granite cliffs, with pines lining parts of the shore. If the water is calm, look back across it for Mount Hoffmann’s reflection. The lake was named for Lucy Mayotta Browne by surveyor Charles Hoffmann; the two married in 1870. This hike ends at the lake. The Mount Hoffmann summit route is a separate extension that makes the outing about six miles round trip.
The May Lake parking area is 1.75 miles north of Tioga Road at the end of an unpaved spur. Tioga Road is seasonal, and the spur may be closed to vehicles, especially early in the season. If it’s gated, hikers add 1.75 miles each way along the road. There’s a vault toilet and animal-safe food storage at the parking area, so check road conditions before driving up.
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
ChallengingMount Hoffmann Trail5.6 mi · 5.5 hr · At the trailheadA high-country scramble above May Lake to Yosemite's geographic center.
ChallengingHigh Sierra Camp Loop48.2 mi · 1.7 days · 1.2 mi awayFive camps and high passes on a 48-mile Yosemite circuit.
ModerateSunrise Lakes Trail7 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayThree high-country lakes after a rocky switchback climb.
ChallengingClouds Rest Trail14 mi · 9 hr · 1.2 mi awayA higher vantage on Half Dome, earned over a long exposed day.ChallengingSunrise High Sierra Camp Trail10.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayHigh lakes, a mountain saddle, and a meadow camp.
EasyTenaya Lake Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.4 mi awayA level south-shore walk beneath Tenaya Peak
ModeratePolly Dome Lakes Trail6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayUnmarked spur leads through granite and forest to lakes below Polly Dome.
EasyOlmsted Point Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 1.6 mi awayA short granite walk to erratics, Tenaya Lake and Half Dome.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayMay LakeA lake beneath Mount Hoffmann, reached by a steady uphill walk.
Lodging · 0.9 mi awayMay Lake High Sierra CampA backcountry bed and meal beneath Mount Hoffmann.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayTenaya LakeClear water, granite peaks, and an easy lakeshore stop.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayOlmsted PointHalf Dome from another angle, framed by glacially carried boulders.Lodging · 4.1 mi awaySunrise High Sierra CampA meadow-side overnight with tent cabins and meals at 9,400 feet.
Sight · 4.2 mi awayCathedral LakesTwo high lakes, bare granite shelves, and Cathedral Peak overhead.
Campground · 4.4 mi awayPorcupine Flat CampgroundAn 8,100-foot base for Tioga Road's high-country stops.
Sight · 4.5 mi awayClouds RestThe long hike pays off in a narrow ridge above Half Dome.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
