Mount Hoffman hike

Park at the end of May Lake Rd. (Old Tioga Rd.) and follow the easy, clear path up to May Lake. There is a beautiful High Sierra Camp there, which would be worth staying at if it is open.

The path to Mt. Hoffman can at times be very difficult to see, as there are limited signs. This is especially challenging when snow is still present. Continue around the left side of the lake and ascend through a small ravine. You will cross a few rivers and gain a small ridge with views down into Yosemite Valley.

Continue along the trail as it switchbacks up above the tree line. A common mistake is to go right once you are coming out of the trees, and go between the two very visible towers. There appears a saddle with vegetation and some Cairns leading to it, however this is a dangerous route with a lot of loose rocks overhead and some boulder hopping.

Instead of going right, head left of the leftmost tower and go up a somewhat rocky path that gets you to a plateau. It is a much easier route that involves no scrambling through we couldn’t find a clear path to take us up and there was a fair amount of snow.

On the plateau there are beautiful views in every direction, including a lookout over the entire park. If you don’t like exposure, explore around this plateau, as it’s stunning.

From the plateau there will be three apparent towers; the two you saw ascending and one behind them. Go around the third tower and cross over a large snowfield. Mount Hoffman is the peak with the antenna coming from it.

There is some somewhat serious scrambling to get to the real peak. Good route finding skills are a must. However, the view from the very top is exquisite. John Muir claimed this as the finest view in Yosemite.

If you want to find more great hikes in Yosemite, check out Clouds Rest, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite Valley or Panorama Trail!