Garden of the Gods Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour
Description
Embark on an unforgettable journey through the natural wonders of Garden of the Gods with this self-guided driving and walking tour. Discover stunning red and orange rock formations that look like they dropped here from another world. Marvel at Balanced Rock as it seems to defy the laws of physics, or gaze up at Montezuma Tower. As you drive, you’ll find out how all these geologic marvels formed in the first place! This self-guided audio tour of Garden of the Gods takes about three hours total. Enjoy free access to the stunning Garden of the Gods Park, open to the public year-round. Check opening hours before your visit. After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Garden of the Gods is a popular tourist attraction in Colorado Springs, Colorado, known for its stunning red rock formations that resemble ancient castles and spires. The park offers a variety of hiking trails, including the popular Balanced Rock Trail, and is a great place for rock climbing, photography, and simply enjoying the natural beauty of the area. "It is free to visit." Note: The tour is over 6.5 miles long, with more than 31 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours per tour to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
The first thing to know is that the two camels aren’t actually two different rocks. At one time, they looked no different than the rest of this rock face. But there was a small crack within one layer of the sandstone. A crack so small it was practically invisible.
The Central Gardens is an easy, two-mile trail through the heart of the Garden of the Gods. It’s an excellent introduction into this fantastic place, giving us a chance to see some of the most famous formations in the park. Note: This 6.5-mile-long tour covers the essentials of Garden of the Gods in 1-2 hours.
The Siamese Twins Trail is ahead on our right. This mile-long trail takes about 20 minutes, and features two amazing rocky spires. Turn into the parking lot on the right if you’d like to hike the trail.
It’s impossible to miss Balanced Rock from here. This huge formation appears to balance impossibly on a red sandstone platform. So how does it do it? Despite the name and appearance, this rock is actually not balancing. It’s all part of one formation!
The Giant Footprints looks like another rock formation, but something’s a little off-kilter. Literally! Ordinarily the strata of rock are horizontal, like a lasagna. But here, they’re diagonal, pointing at a 45-degree angle. It's like a giant stepped on a loose floorboard.
South Gateway Rock, which we passed earlier. Notice all the little pockmarks in the face of it? Those actually point to one of the more challenging features of climbing this kind of sandstone.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
- Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
- Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
- Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
- New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
- For the best experience, bring headphones/earbuds for your walking tour.
- Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car's stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.
- The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
- Savings tips: Walking tours: couples can share one tour by splitting headphones
- Enjoy free access to the stunning Garden of the Gods Park, open to the public year-round.
- Your password can be used on the same number of devices as travelers booked. Enter the same password on each device.
Reviews(31)
This review is late due to an extremely busy few months. This is a great app to download and to use as you walk around the Garden of the Gods. It gives you a detailed description of the area you are looking at. I would recommend bringing ear pods for better hearing as the area can be a little noisy with everyone walking around. Also water and dogs are welcome. If I remember correctly the app is accessible for a year from the date downloaded. Definitely would use it again.
I’m glad to hear that my Garden of the Gods GPS Driving and Walking Audio Tour worked well for your visit and provided detailed context as you explored. That’s a helpful tip about using earbuds—especially in busier areas, as it definitely enhances the audio experience. I’m also pleased you mentioned the flexibility and that you’d use it again—that’s exactly what I aim to offer. I actually have over 200 tours available, all designed to provide similar experiences. Check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, which include the Rocky Mountains, Mesa Verde, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Pikes Peak Highway, and the Colorado National Monument.
Very easy to follow guide and loved how they knew where we were. I will definitely use on my next trip and recommend for others to use.
Kate, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed my Self-Guided Driving and Walking Tour in Garden of the Gods. I’m thrilled that the guide was easy to follow and that it kept track of your location throughout the tour. I actually have over 100 available, all designed to provide similar experiences. Check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, which include the Rocky Mountains, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Pikes Peak Highway, and Colorado National Monument.
This tour was the perfect companion, providing great historical context and navigating us easily through the park's must-see formations.
Alice, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed my Self-Guided Driving and Walking Tour in Garden of the Gods. I’m thrilled that it provided great historical context and helped navigate you through the park's stunning formations. I actually have over 100 available, all designed to provide similar experiences. Check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, which include the Rocky Mountains, Mesa Verde, Garden of the Gods, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Pikes Peak Highway, and Colorado National Monument.
Tour was the perfect companion for exploring the stunning Garden of the Gods. With no entry or parking fees, this affordable guide enhances your experience with seamless, GPS-triggered narration at key spots like Balanced Rock and the Three Graces. We downloaded the app beforehand, and the detailed stories about the geology and Ute tribe legends were spot-on, adding valuable context at each stop. The ability to pause for photos or explore at our own pace made the tour even better.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my Audio Tour in Garden of the Gods. I’m excited that the GPS-triggered narration and detailed stories about the geology and Ute tribe legends provided valuable context for your visit. It’s wonderful that you downloaded the app beforehand and could pause or explore at your own pace, which made your experience even better. If you're planning to see more of Colorado, check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, including Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and the Million Dollar Highway. Safe travels!
Unable to download while at Garden of the Gods. A dismal failure! Very disappointed. A complete waste of money. I am so upset about the experience. Ruined the day. Would not recommend to anyone! A scam!
Tammy, I’m really sorry to hear about your frustration. However, I see that you redeemed the tour password on September 26th, and both my app and tour need to be downloaded beforehand to access the tour. I send multiple reminders to ensure everything is set up in advance. While I believe the tour can still be enjoyed, I’d be happy to offer you a full refund or exchange it for one of my 200+ audio tours if you’d prefer. Please reach out, and I’ll make sure to help you out!
Couldn’t get app to work. Can I get my money back? Please, Garden of the Gods is free to go through. I didn’t really need the audio tour and since it didn’t work I’d like my money refunded.
I’m sorry to hear the app didn’t work for you. I’d really like to know more about why it didn’t work. I couldn’t locate your booking, so I’m unable to confirm if the password was used. However, the audio guide is the only service we provide for the Garden of the Gods. Our support hours are 9–6 EST, and our products are valid for one year, providing you with ample time to use them or request a replacement/refund if needed.
My husband and I traveled to Aurora and had a list of things we wanted to check out, but we aren’t the greatest planners. This app was easy to use, provided directions to tour starting point and walked us through every detail. It made our traveling more enjoyable.
Marisol, I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed my Garden of the Gods audio tour. It’s wonderful to know the app made browsing easy and improved your travel experience, especially with directions to the start point and detailed guidance along the way. If you plan to explore more of Colorado, check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, which cover Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and the Million Dollar Highway. Safe travels!
User friendly. We made sure everything was downloaded prior to the tour. We used CarPlay in the vehicle and air pods for the hikes. We enjoyed the information and history provided by the audio guide.
Nancy, I’m so happy you found my Garden of the Gods audio tour easy to use. It’s wonderful to hear that CarPlay and AirPods worked smoothly, and that the audio guide made your hikes and drive informative and fun. If you plan to visit more of Colorado, check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, which include Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and the Million Dollar Highway. Happy travels!
I couldn't use the app. I've tried to open the link, but there was no audio or any other information provided.
Nijole, I’m sorry you had trouble accessing my Garden of the Gods audio tour. The best way is to download the app and set up the tour ahead of time. I’d like to know which link wasn’t working for you. You can also search for my app name directly in the Play Store or App Store — it should work fine. After booking, I’ll send an email with instructions and a password. Once you download the app and redeem the password, the tour will be ready. If you’ve already left the location, I can provide a replacement tour for a different spot or issue a refund. I’m available daily from 9 to 6 EST and happy to help!
Great information about the area as you drive through. Location is extremely accurate so it is on track with where you are in the tour.
Terry, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my Garden of the Gods audio tour and found the information accurate and helpful. It’s great to know the tour was right on track with your location. If you plan to explore more of Colorado, check out my Ultimate Colorado Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tours, featuring Rocky Mountain National Park, the Mesa Verde National Park, and Million Dollar Highway. Happy travels!
