Bunsen Peak
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Bunsen Peak rises to 2,599 m in Wyoming. Electric Peak stands 3,341 m to the northwest, 8.2 miles off. The nearest named place is Cathedral Rock, a peak 0.5 miles away.
The story
Bunsen Peak el. 8,564 feet (2,610 m) is a prominent peak due south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The peak lies on the east flank of Kingman Pass on the Mammoth to Norris section of the Grand Loop Road. The peak was first ascended by Ferdinand V. Hayden and Captain John W. Barlow in 1871, Bunsen Peak was not named until 1872 during the second Hayden Geologic Survey. E. S. Topping named the peak Observation Mountain in 1872 as well, but that name did not stick. The Bunsen Peak Trail with its trailhead just south of Mammoth is a steep 2.1 miles (3.4 km) to the summit. Bunsen Peak was named for the German chemist Robert Bunsen, the inventor of the Bunsen Burner and responsible for early work on volcanic geyser theories.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4997905, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 2599 m
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Cathedral Rock: 0.5 mi
- The Hoodoos: 1.1 mi
- Terrace Mountain: 2.2 mi
- Clagett Butte: 2.7 mi
- Capitol Hill: 2.8 mi
- Canary Spring: 2.5 mi
- Dryad Springs: 2.5 mi
- Orange Spring Mound: 2.5 mi
- Cupid Spring: 2.5 mi
- New Blue Spring: 2.6 mi
- Mammoth Picnic Area: 2.9 mi
- Sheepeater Cliff Picnic Area: 3.0 mi
- Albright Picnic Area: 3.1 mi
- Lava Creek Picnic Area: 3.6 mi
- 45th Parallel Picnic Area: 4.3 mi
- Osprey Falls: 1.2 mi
- Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces: 2.7 mi
- Yellowstone Gateway Garden: 6.8 mi
- Roosevelt Arch: 6.8 mi
- Frog Rock: 7.1 mi
- Rustic Falls: 0.9 mi
- Undine Falls: 3.4 mi
- Wraith Falls: 4.1 mi
- Lost Creek Falls: 14.1 mi
- Virginia Cascades: 15.4 mi
- Sheepeater Cliffs: 1.4 mi
- Obsidian Cliff: 7.7 mi
- Trilobite Point: 10.4 mi
- Devils Slide: 12.0 mi
- Rigler Bluffs: 14.2 mi
- Bijah Springs: 11.8 mi
- Roadside Spring West (MNCNN030): 12.3 mi
- Roadside Spring East (MNCNN031): 12.3 mi
- Frying Pan Spring: 12.4 mi
- Frying Pan Bowl: 12.4 mi
- Willow Park: 4.8 mi
- Arch Park: 6.8 mi
- Gallatin Game Preserve: 23.1 mi
- Cabin Creek Wildlife Management Area: 23.8 mi
- Museum of the National Park Ranger: 13.4 mi
- Norris Geyser Basin Museum: 14.2 mi
- Dome Mountain Wildlife Management Area: 20.3 mi
- Yellowstone National Park: 24.0 mi
- Aldridge: 11.0 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 17.2 miles of Bunsen Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Peak | NW 308° | 3,341 m | 8.2 mi |
| Sheep Mountain | N 1° | 3,189 m | 12.5 mi |
| Joseph Peak | WNW 282° | 3,176 m | 8.9 mi |
| Monitor Peak | N 11° | 3,168 m | 16.2 mi |
| Mount Holmes | SW 223° | 3,149 m | 10.7 mi |
| Gray Peak | W 276° | 3,139 m | 8.6 mi |
| Bannock Peak | WSW 251° | 3,137 m | 8.6 mi |
| Mount Washburn | SE 125° | 3,122 m | 16.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:27 | 18:57 | 19:35 |
| June solstice | 05:37 | 20:28 | 21:14 |
| September equinox | 07:11 | 18:43 | 19:22 |
| December solstice | 07:59 | 15:56 | 16:45 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 22 | 23 | 31 | 38 | 47 | 56 | 65 | 63 | 54 | 41 | 29 | 21 |
| Precip in | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Yellowstone Park Mammoth, 3 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Nov and Mar; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 1609230 — Bunsen Peak, Park County, Wyoming.
OpenStreetMap element node/356511274
Day trips start here
- Gardiner · 7 mi
- Yellowstone National Park · 23 mi
- West Yellowstone · 27 mi
Take the scenic way to Bunsen Peak.
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