Bunsen Peak — Yellowstone Volcanic Neck Summit Viewpoint

Bunsen Peak is a phonolite lava plug that towers over the Mammoth corridor at roughly 8,564 feet. From the summit, you’ve got a 360-degree sweep: Swan Lake Flats to the north, the Gallatin Range to the west, and steam columns from the Norris Geyser Basin punching skyward to the south. The road wrapping its base is the same one overlanders run on the Bunsen Peak loop — you can look straight down at your rig from up top. Named after physicist Robert Bunsen of Bunsen burner fame, the peak sits directly on the fossil supervolcano landscape that defines this whole plateau.

Access is via the one-way Bunsen Peak Road off Grand Loop Road just south of Mammoth Hot Springs. The trail to the summit is a side hike — roughly 4.2 miles round trip, moderate grade. Snow can linger on the upper slopes through early June. Bears are active here; carry spray and make noise on the switchbacks. No facilities at the trailhead.

Yellowstone plug dome above Swan Lake Flats.