Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Catskills Scenic Byway
Description
Download the GuideAlong self-guided audio tour and you'll discover more on your Catskill Mountains road trip. Hear fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, local tips and directions play automatically, all based on your location. You'll be guided to all of the area's famous highlights as well as lessor known gems including the world's largest kaleidoscope, a scenic gondola ride that offers fantastic panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains, and a large reservoir known for its beautiful panorama and recreational opportunities. Enjoy the freedom to explore offline at your own pace, spending more time at places that interest you. - Stories, tips and directions play automatically based on your location - Travel at your own pace - Tour offline using GPS, no cell service or WiFi needed - Suggested itineraries for half, full or multi day use - Buy once, use forever! No expiry, includes free updates - Like having a tour guide along for the drive Purchase one tour per vehicle.
Tour Options
Itinerary
As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route to match your interests and schedule.
Running along the northern shore of the Ashokan Reservoir, the Ashokan Rail Trail offers picturesque views of the reservoir and the Catskill Mountains from multiple vantage points. This crushed gravel trail is accessible to most bikes, and is also great for walking and trail running.
Located on the eastern end of the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway, the Ashokan Reservoir is a vital source of drinking water for New York City. Visitors are drawn to this large reservoir for its beautiful panorama and recreational opportunities - making it an ideal spot for hiking, biking, birdwatching and simply enjoying the surrounding mountains.
This scenic gondola ride offers fantastic panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains in every season, from the lush greenery of summer to the vibrant fall foliage. The Belleayre Mountain Gondola is a must-visit attraction and allows visitors to appreciate the beauty of the Catskills from a remarkable and easily accessed vantage point.
This colossal kaleidoscope housed inside an old grain silo provides a unique blend of art and entertainment, and allows visitors to immerse themselves in an unique sensory journey. The world's largest kaleidoscope is a must-see attraction for those who enjoy odd and unusual sights.
The neighboring towns of Margaretville and Arkville are known for their welcoming communities, vibrant arts scene, lively local shops, and excellent dining options. It's well worth dedicating at least an hour or two to park and explore these towns on foot. Also of potential special interest is the Water Discovery Center - sounds boring but it's actually very interesting - and the heritage Delaware & Ulster Railroad.
Located at the Catskills Visitor Center in Mount Tremper, the Upper Esopus Fire Tower is just a short hike from the parking area and offers visitors fantastic panoramas of the surrounding mountains. It’s a great chance to learn about the role fire towers played in early forest fire detection.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How to Access: After booking you’ll receive an email and text with instructions (search “Download Audio Tour”). Click the link in the email/text to sign in with your preferred Apple or Google account and redeem your voucher code ahead of time.
- Download The GuideAlong App: Download the free app over WiFi or cellular data and sign in with the same Apple or Google account.
- Download The Tour: Download the tour in the GuideAlong app under 'My Tours' over WiFi or cellular data.
- Start The Tour: Open the tour in the GuideAlong app to preview the start locations, tour route and trip planner, or start the tour.
- Location-Based Stories: Audio commentary plays automatically as you drive using your phone’s GPS chip. Wherever you are and whichever direction you’re going, you’ll hear the best stories and tips.
- Flexible Travel Date: Tours are a one-time purchase with no expiry or date/time limit. If your plans change to a different day, there’s no need to change your travel date.
- Tour at Your Leisure: With GuideAlong, you control the pace. Start, stop, and resume the tour any day, anytime, adapting it to your schedule.
- Driving Tours: Group Savings: One purchase covers everyone in the vehicle, making it a cost-effective way to explore.
- Works Offline: No internet or cell service is required once the audio tour is downloaded to your phone, so you can relax and tour offline.
- Bring A Charger: Pack a USB/C car charger for charging and easy sound connectivity, and make sure your device is fully charged.
- Technical Support: The GuideAlong support team is available daily by toll-free phone, online chat, and email.
- The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.
Reviews(8)
We enjoyed the audio tour. We only live 45 minutes from the Catskills, but other than passing through, had never gone to the Catskills. This was great to learn about the area! One suggestion which would be nice is if we were better directed on where exactly to turn. We missed on of the turns because it said you turn up ahead when you see signs for ...We did not see those signs - they may have been taken down? If we were given the directory of You'll make the next left or next right - then we may not have missed it. One or two of the turns did say to turn onto such and such a road, but that one turn there were multiple roads from when it said turn up ahead and before the next info clip started. We also thought when we were on our return trip it would mention it and we could hit it then - but that wasn't mentioned.
Hi Kendra, thanks for taking our Catskills Scenic Byway audio tour. Thank you for sharing your experience — we’re glad you enjoyed learning more about the area and found the tour helpful overall. We’re sorry that one of the turns was harder to follow, especially if the sign was removed. If you remember where that was, please let us know so our team can look into it and improve the directions. Your audio tour is valid for lifetime use, so you can revisit the route anytime. We hope to join you on the road again soon!
It was a waste of money - we’ve done a few driving tours and have enjoyed them, but this one was lackluster to say the least.
Hi Victoria, We’re sorry to hear that you didn’t have a positive experience with the Catskills Scenic Byway tour. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on this tour from other travelers, and we would love to understand where you think the content could be improved to help our content team review the tour. Please reach out to us with your suggestions for improvement, and we’ll be happy to exchange this tour for another audio tour of your choice to make sure you have a 5-star experience next time. We hope to hear from you.
Loved the history and specifics about the area. Great directions and suggestions for stops. Timing was really good too. Liked that it picked up wherever you started/stopped.
Hi Karen, thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with our Catskills Scenic Byway audio tour. We're delighted to hear that you loved the history and appreciated the great directions and suggestions for stops. It's great to know the tour’s timing worked well and that it picked up seamlessly wherever you started or stopped. We hope to join you on the road again soon!
Great narrator even for people with hearing loss. Bluetooth to your car by downloading everything before you leave your wifi. We stopped at most of the places and found great shops, bridges and lakes, a fantastic hike a great bread and pastry place and a cute local library. It is worth every penny and you can go back to review words or segments you missed. In spite of a rainy day, it was a fun activity.
Hi Kathy, thank you for sharing your experience with our Catskills Scenic Byway audio tour. We're thrilled to hear that the narration was helpful, even for those with hearing loss, and that you enjoyed connecting it via Bluetooth for a smooth experience. It sounds like you discovered wonderful stops, from shops to scenic hikes and even a local library. We're glad the tour was worth every penny. We hope to join you on the road again soon!
Some directions not clear Pleasant relaxing ride once we g it the app to work Must start from an end Unable to leave a shorter review
Hi, thank you for sharing your experience with our Catskills Scenic Byway audio tour. We're glad it worked out for you and that you had a pleasant and relaxing ride. For clearer directions, we recommend following the speed limit, and starting from the designated starting point is essential for a seamless experience. We look forward to joining you on the road again soon!
Worked in any direction . We started at the other end and it worked great. Nice day. There was an electric outage so many things were closed but we had fun
Hi Maun, thank you for sharing your experience with our Catskills Scenic Byway audio tour. We're glad to hear that the tour worked well for you, even starting from the other end. It's great that you had a nice day and enjoyed the tour despite the electric outage. We hope to join you on the road again soon!
We are not super tech- savvy. As long as you follow the easy instructions, it works perfectly! DON’T forget to download everything before you leave WiFi. The speaker’s voice was clear and easy to understand even with my mild hearing loss. His descriptions timed perfectly with where we were on the tour. We did many of the stops he suggested and enjoyed every one immensely. It was a rainy day and this was still a great activity for the rain except for hiking. By the time the trip was almost over, the rain stopped long enough to do the hike at the Palmer lookout. Just couldn’t see much because of the mist. Very worthwhile activity and would love it more on a sunny day!! Worth every penny and did so many things we wouldn’t have known about! We will try this guide again in another setting!
Hi Kathy, thank you for sharing your experience with our Catskills Scenic Byway audio tour! We're so glad to hear that it worked perfectly for you. It's wonderful that the clear and well-timed narration enhanced your experience, allowing you to enjoy the stops despite the rainy day. We're thrilled that you found it worthwhile and discovered new things. We hope to join you on the road again soon.
This was the first time we have used an audio trip guide. Not knowing what to expect ... our expectations were not overly high. SURPRISE! The audio guide was highly accurate to locations to the area as the vehicle was moving - almost like having the guide in our car! The guide provided visual cues to upcoming attractions and/or turns in a timely manner. The guide had an appealing humor. It truly did not matter where you joined the tour. Even passing through the same places, the guide was still interesting. We would purchase another of the audio tours - 100% would purchase another tour.
Hi Mary, thank you for sharing your experience. We're thrilled that your first time using our audio trip guide exceeded your expectations. We're glad you enjoyed our humor! Where do you plan to go next?
