Bunsen Peak Road — Yellowstone Backcountry Drive via Gardner River Canyon
Yellowstone without the tourist parade.
Bunsen Peak Road is a 6-mile one-way dirt track that peels off the Grand Loop Road just south of Mammoth Hot Springs and drops into one of Yellowstone’s least-crowded corridors. The route skirts the base of Bunsen Peak — named after physicist Robert Bunsen — and winds past Osprey Falls trailhead, thermal seeps, and open sagebrush flats where bison congregate in numbers that’ll make you sit still and wait. The Gardner River Canyon cuts hard below the road’s east end, and if you hike the short spur to Osprey Falls, you’ll drop 150 feet into a basalt gorge most park visitors never see.
This is a high-clearance road, not a technical crawler — but it’s rutted, narrow, and seasonally rough enough that low-clearance vehicles get beached regularly. Stock 4WD or a capable AWD with decent ground clearance handles it fine. The road closes in winter and opens roughly late spring through fall; check NPS road status before you go. No camping along the route itself — it’s a day-use corridor — but Mammoth Campground sits nearby. Cell service is essentially zero. Fuel up in Gardiner before entering. What you get is Yellowstone without the bumper-to-bumper misery.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Moderate |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | Backcountry, High Clearance, Scenic Drive |
| Surface | Dirt, Gravel |
| Features | Historic, Remote, Scenic |
| Length (miles) | 6 mi / 9.7 km |
| Duration | Half day |
| Max elevation (ft) | 7400 ft |
| Best season | June-October |
| Minimum vehicle | High-clearance AWD or 4WD |
| Nearest town | Gardiner, WY |
| Land manager | National Park Service — Yellowstone National Park |
| Permit required | No |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | No |
| Dispersed camping | No |
| Official sources | nps.gov |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
| Copy both for Google Maps directionsClick to copy the directions URL · or open it directly in a new tab | |
| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
Can a stock Subaru Outback handle Bunsen Peak Road?
A stock Outback is borderline — the road is dirt and gravel with some rocky sections that want legitimate ground clearance. A high-clearance AWD or 4WD is the minimum call here; don't push it in a crossover with low-profile tires.
When does Bunsen Peak Road actually open each year?
Typically opens in June once snow clears and the NPS does road assessment, and closes around October or when early snow makes it impassable. Check the NPS Yellowstone road status page directly before you go — closures happen fast and without much warning.
Do I need a separate permit to drive Bunsen Peak Road, or does the park entrance fee cover it?
Your Yellowstone entrance fee covers it — no additional permit required. Standard park admission runs $35 per vehicle (7-day pass) as of 2024; an America the Beautiful annual pass also gets you in.
What's the hardest part of this road and what should I actually expect?
It's a one-way road, so you're committed once you start — no turning around a full-size rig. The roughest stretch runs through the Gardner River canyon section where the road narrows and gets rocky; nothing extreme, but loose surface and drop-offs mean you're not coasting through on autopilot.
Is there any cell service on Bunsen Peak Road, and how close is the nearest gas?
Zero cell service on the road — plan accordingly and download offline maps before you enter the park. Nearest gas is in Gardiner, MT, right at the north entrance, so top off there before you drive in.
Trail track
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