May Lake Trail

May Lake Trailhead
4.0
2 Reviews
May Lake Trail
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Details

Distance
2.34 miles
Elevation Gain
489 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back

Features

Scenic
Picnic Area
Family Friendly
Lake
Bathrooms
Easy Parking
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Track

About this place

Added by Basak Prince

Heading out on the May Lake Trail is one of the most scenic hikes in Yosemite National Park with a backdrop of Tioga Road, Clouds Rest, and Tenaya Lake.

May Lake is a stunning, serene subalpine lake that rests at the base of Mt. Hoffmann. The May Lake turnoff is located four miles past Tenaya Lake. From the turnoff, it's 1.8 miles to the trailhead parking lot.

During summer time, I will recommend getting to the parking area early to get a spot since this is a very popular hike.

May Lake is one of the five High Sierra Wilderness Camps in Yosemite National Park. If you are lucky enough you can win a lottery to stay in this camp site where you will be served dinner and breakfast. More info TravelYosemite.com, but don't worry if you did not win the lottery you can always stay at the backpacker campground as well. This is also a great day hike where you can complete it 4-5 hours with a lunch break by May Lake.

May Lake sits beneath 10,845 foot Mt. Hoffman. If you like, you can summit Mt. Hoffman by taking the rugged trail from the north side of the lake. In order to get to the top, you will need to hike for another 2 miles with 1,500 elevation gain along side of sweeping views of Yosemite.

Even thought it is not permitted to swim in the lake, I saw people cliff jumping and taking a dip in the lake.

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Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and be sure to follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly.
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Emily Schrick
9/4/2017
Heavy snow year = awesome summer views
We backpacked in to May Lake from Glen Aulin at the end of July, and there was still tons of snow around the lake, ...
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Emily Noyd
9/15/2016
Great for first-time backpackers
I send visitors to May Lake who A) have never backpacked before, and/or B) who want to spend time exploring Yosemite elsewhere and experience ...
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