Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bunsen Peak Road & Osprey Falls
Duration
1 hour cycling plus a 90-minute strenuous hike to Osprey Falls
Distance
6.8 miles return
Difficulty
Easy
Elevation Change
Negligible (800ft descent on foot to Osprey Falls)
Start/Finish
Bunsen Peak Trailhead (1K4;
Click here
)
Nearest Town/Junction
Mammoth
Summary
An easy ride on a former service road, best combined with the strenuous hike
down to Osprey Falls.
Now closed to motor vehicles, 6-mile
Bunsen Peak Rd
is a dirt road popular among fam-
ily bikers. Probably the best option is to combine the bike ride with a hike to Osprey Falls
(
Click here
)
. To do this, lock your bike at a rack by the
Osprey Falls Trailhead
, 3.4
miles into the ride. From here it's best to return the way you came. It's a largely flat sec-
tion of gravel road, with a few minor ups and downs, and offers a good family trip
(though the descent and return to Osprey Falls is much harder).
From the
Osprey Falls junction
it's possible to continue downhill to a service road and
vehicle maintenance depot just above Mammoth, from where you can descend along the
main road and then a walking trail beside the corral to Mammoth Junction, but you'd have
to arrange a car shuttle for this. Biking back up the main road to the Bunsen Peak Trail-
head isn't recommended due to the gradient, traffic and lack of a bicycle lane.
Canyon Country
As well as the easy bike rides around Canyon's north and south rim roads, the Canyon re-
gion offers the park's main uphill mountain bike challenge.
Mt Washburn
Duration
3 hours
