May Lake | Mariposa County | Yosemite Wilderness

May Lake
(Mariposa County)
Yosemite Wilderness
August 14, 2011

Getting There

May Lake is located inside of Yosemite National Park off of Tioga Pass Road. Follow the signs from Tioga Pass Road to the May Lake trailhead. There are many parking spots at the May Lake trailhead. Do not forget to get your wilderness permits before staying in Yosemite.

May Lake - northwest cove

The Hike

It is a very easy and short hike to May Lake. At 1.1 miles it makes for a blink of the eye hike in terms of distance. We packed into May Lake and it was easy. The climb will reveal some great shots of Half Dome in the distance so keep your camera ready. You are going to see other people on busy days. If you plan on staying over night at May Lake, keep in mind that the High Sierra Campground remains lively into the evening. We stayed in the areas on the south side. They were nice with bear lockers and running water. There is a restroom at May Lake too.

The trail to May Lake

Our campsite at May Lake - 2012

The Fishing

The fish were hard to find while fishing May Lake. We worked the west shore with lures and powerbait but had zero luck. Hardly saw any sign of fish life except for one or two jumping out in the middle of the lake.

May Lake Brookie

We decided to go back to camp and have lunch. After lunch we headed toward the east side of May Lake. After trying our luck at a couple of stops we finally found the right place at May Lake. The fish were hitting our powerbait by the time the weight hit the bottom! The cast had to be pinpointed into one certain area otherwise we would get nothing. After losing a few, some while posing for pictures, we landed a nice one! Check out the gallery of May Lake.

May Lake

May Lake fishing while the sun was out

May Lake clouds gathering

May Lake - 2012