Rocky Mountain Audio Tour: Self-Guided Scenic Drive

Embark on a self-guided scenic drive through Rocky Mountain National Park with the GuideAlong Audio Driving Tour. Discover famous highlights, hidden gems, and wildlife viewing with fascinating stories and local tips.

Duration: 16 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Rocky Mountain National Park - As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route(s) to match your interests and schedule.

Or you can use our trip planners for our suggestions on half, full or multi day itineraries.

Some of the many highlights are listed below;

  • Trail Ridge Road - Most definitely the star of Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Road is a scenic drive like no other in the country. Starting from either Estes Park or Grand Lake, the road climbs to heights above the treeline, topping at over 12,000 feet. There are many scenic overlooks along the way and the views to some of Colorado’s most spectacular mountains is simply superb from this elevated vantage point.

Not to be missed on any visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, driving the Trail Ridge Road is a must-do.

  • Estes Park - Charming mountain town that has managed to keep a small town feel, despite being the gateway for the popular Rocky Mountain National Park.

You can still rub elbows with famous mountain explorers, or just enjoy the galleries, eating fudge or shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables at the summertime Farmers Market.

  • Bear Lake - The Bear Lake area is the starting point for many of the most popular and scenic hikes in the Park. It’s a leisurely stroll to go around the lake and catch fantastic mountain peaks views in all directions.

Keep watch for wildlife as you drive towards Bear Lake, especially elk, who love this area.

  • Many Parks Curve Overlook - The Many Parks Curve Overlook is one of the best turnouts in Rocky Mountain National Park. From the hairpin turn, pull into the carpark.

The curved boardwalk has memorable views to various mountains including Longs Peak, at over 14,000 feet. The terrain we peer into from the view is the result of glaciers bulldozing their way through.

  • Tundra Communities Trail - You’re high above the treeline in the alpine tundra here. Hike roughly 1 mile from the Tundra Communities Trailhead and you’ll reach some really unique rock formations - the Mushroom Rocks.

At 12,000+ feet you may feel you need to stop and take short rests to catch your breath. Some wildlife thrive in these conditions and you may see marmots basking on flat rocks and hear pikas squeaking warning calls.

  • Old Fall River Road - Before Trail Ridge Road was constructed, the original road that was built to allow visitors to drive into the high alpine was what we know as the Old Fall River Road.

The road is unpaved, but very well maintained, and over 11 miles, climbs its way to the Alpine Visitor Centre at over 11,500 feet. It’s a slow and memorable drive that is driven as a one-way journey - uphill!

  • Sprague Lake - Located along the Bear Lake Road, Sprague Lake offers an easy mostly flat, but busy, 0.8 mile loop trail. There are some boardwalks and bridges along the way. The setting is idyllic for this lake that was created by a pioneer who thought his guests might like to fish. Fingers crossed, you might see moose in the late afternoons.
  • Chrysalis At the Stanley Hotel - Famous for its inspiration as the Overlook Hotel in author Stephen King’s horror novel “The Shining”. Motoring buffs will have other interests to enter the hotel, there is a Stanley Steamer (steam powered car) on display.

The hotel was constructed by wealthy industrialist and also conservationist, FO Stanley, who wanted the fledgling town to have a 1st-class hotel, to attract early wealthy travelers.

  • Holzwarth Historical Site - Some people had to be tough in the old days. Imagine leaving home at age 14 for another country. Seeing your chosen profession in a brewery shutdown when prohibition came into law. Moving your wife and 5 young children to start anew in the Kawuneeche Valley, and eventually building and running a dude ranch with fishing, horseback riding and rodeos.

The Holzwarth family were immigrants from Germany and hardy pioneers. Find out more at the historic site and from on-site staff.

  • Alpine Visitor Center - Nowhere else can you drive on paved roads to an elevation of 12,000 feet! The mountain top scenery is stunning of course, and the picture windows inside the Alpine Visitor Center provide an amazing oasis if the wind is blowing, or the temperature is dropping.

Catch your breath and hike the 0.7 mile Alpine Ridge Trail, also known as Huffers Hill, that rises another 147 feet and provides 360 degree views.

What's Included
  • Support: Toll free phone, chat and email
  • Easy To Use: Pre-download and tour offline
  • Trip Planners: In-app, web and PDF
  • Location Based: Stories, tips & directions that autoplay
  • GuideAlong (GyPSy Guide) Audio Tour: 135 Points
  • One-Time Purchase: No time or date use limit or expiry
  • Flexible Routes: Suggested itineraries or create your own
What's Not Included
  • Timed Entry Fee & Reservations
  • National Park Passes
Additional Information

Don’t miss out on the extraordinary adventure provided by GuideAlong Audio Driving Tour as it navigates you through one of the most frequented US national parks. Along this journey, it points out both popular and hidden attractions, including a picturesque route through the treeline into the alpine tundra and places for excellent wildlife spotting.

This audio tour is user-guided and adds value to your road trip by offering captivating stories, local advice and automated directional support throughout the drive.

Savour the liberty to discover at your leisure, meaning you can spend more time at locations you find intriguing, and skip the ones less appealing.

✅ Geo-located stories, advice and directions
✅ Personalised travel speed
✅ Connectivity-free tours using GPS, no cellular network or WiFi required
✅ Propose itineraries for half-day, full-day or multiple days
✅ No expiry or time limit, free updates included

Please note, only one tour can be purchased per vehicle.

Location
Estes Park
Start at one of the official tour introduction points (Park Entrances near Estes Park or Grand Lake) or join anywhere along the route and pick up the commentary at the next audio point. Open the GuideAlong app to preview the tour route and browse the suggested itineraries and trip planner.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(37 Ratings)
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Kathryn_z
Aug 28, 2024
Rocky Mountain Tour - It was great. Make sure you down load before you get to park and launch it early. Great tour. Gives a lot of background info as you drive
Review provided by Viator
Maryci4763nb
Aug 26, 2024
Fantastic guide as if he was in our car! - Excellent guide to through the park! Once you figure it out with Bluetooth to car, fantastic historical perspective through the park! Wish there were was one via Snowmass to Breckenridge
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lori_k
Aug 17, 2024
Great Tour - Wonderful audio tour, and plan to do another one at our next National park! The history portion was especially interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_e
Jul 30, 2024
Wouldn't make the Rocky Mountain National Park drive without it! - This audio tour was far better than we imagined. The audio played automatically based on our GPS location, and included detailed recommendations for stops to make along the route. It also included historical information, wildlife information, and current events like impacts of recent wildfires on the area. Of course, detailed information on all the landmarks and stopping points was included as well. It was really interesting and entertaining (sometimes funny).
Review provided by Viator
Christa_m
Jul 25, 2024
Great guide! Well worth the money! - It was really helpful to hear about all the different stops along the way as well as the history of the park. Well work the money!
Review provided by Viator
Laurie_b
Jul 24, 2024
Couldn’t be happier with this! - This was the best! The audio came through beautifully in the car using my phone and Bluetooth. Despite no cell service most of the time, the app very accurately tracked us using GPS. Tips on pullovers and stops coming up, identifying what we were seeing as we drove, as well as anecdotes and historical narrative were exactly what we hope for. Very nicely done!! Highly recommended. Make sure to purchase this, download the app and then download your tour in the app before you go!
Review provided by Viator
Casee_t
Jul 9, 2024
Happy Family trip! Great tour!! - We loved the audio driving tour. We would have simply drove past some of these small turnouts not knowing that just a short walk from them was a beautiful view. The family loved to hear the history behind the areas we were driving through and we didn't miss any turns or sites worth visiting. It was simple to use and definitely worth the cost. I highly recommend this tour when driving in the RMNP.
Review provided by Viator
Shaun_k
Jun 27, 2024
Accessibility is a fundamental part of the experience. - My parents were able to enjoy the park from the comfort of the van handicapped. We enjoy the park. A+++++++++++++++
Review provided by Viator
James_s
Jun 26, 2024
Great addition for our tour. - We decided to use this tour at the last minute. I wish I downloaded it before entering the park. There was enough WiFi at the headquarters to do it. We were really impressed that the narration syncs to your location without effort. That is not the case with the NPS app which is excellent but is missing that feature. The content added to the pleasure of the ride but is not overly detailed.
Review provided by Viator
Road30485840412
Jun 13, 2024
Great RMNP trip with Guide Along - The Guide Along App is great. We have been to RMNP several times but bought the tour for this trip. We learned many new and interesting things that we didn’t know from previous trips without the app.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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