Yellowstone National Park · Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Bunsen Peak Trail

6.7 mi of trail, end to end · about 1,500 ft of climbing · 7,206 ft–8,556 ft · earth surface · trail class Minimally Developed · bike, hiking

Peaks

Along the way Bunsen Peak

Trailhead Bunsen Peak Trailhead 7,274 ft Drive there

Bunsen Peak Trail the Park Service's write-up

2-3 Hours · no dogs · Summer, Fall

Start Mammoth Hot Springs

Climb 1,300 feet through forest and meadow to the summit of Bunsen Peak, named for German chemist Robert Bunsen who studied geysers and invented the Bunsen Burner. The summit offers panoramic views of the Blacktail Deer Plateau, Swan Lake Flat, Gallatin Mountain Range, and the Yellowstone River Valley. Return by the same route.

Safety notes: Grizzly bears frequent this area. You’ll also see communications equipment, which supplies Mammoth and nearby communities.

Trailhead: 5 miles (8 km) south of Mammoth on the Grand Loop Road. Park in the gravel lot just south of Golden Gate, across from the Glen Creek trailhead.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

Other trails from the Bunsen Peak Trailhead

• Fawn Pass Trail · 21 mi

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.