Colorado National Monument Self Guided Audio Driving Guided Tour
- 3–4 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Discover red rock country at its finest with this self-guided driving tour through Colorado National Monument. Gaze up at the iconic Independence Monument, a towering spire rising from the canyon floor. Marvel at the natural sculptures of Coke Ovens Overlook, shaped by millennia of erosion. Take in sheer cliffside views at Cold Shivers Point. Wander through rugged formations at Devil’s Kitchen Trail. This drive blends dramatic geology, & wild western beauty. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! 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, & 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. This is not an entrance ticket to attractions along the route. Check opening hours before your visit.
Inclusions
What's included
- Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
What's not
- No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.
Itinerary
This easy hike is only half a mile and takes about 15 minutes, so I highly recommend it. If you have children along, be sure that they stay away from the edge, as it’s quite steep in places. Note: The tour is over 45 Miles long per tour, with more than 35+ audio stories per tour, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
When you look around the Redlands View, take a look at how the rocks seem to have different layers, almost like a cake. These are different types of rock that were exposed over millions of years of erosion by the Colorado River.
Our next stop features a rock doing a circus balancing act. Balanced Rock View offers a look at a 700-ton boulder seemingly perched precariously atop a rocky pillar.
Settlers in the 1880s realized that this was the perfect place to grow fruit trees. Peaches, apples, and grapes all love the sheltered valley and plentiful water here.
we’ll discover beautiful cliffs, ravines, and vistas. We’ll also hear about cattle rustlers, dinosaurs, and the famous “hermit of the Canyons.” Note: The tour is over 45 miles long, with more than 35+ audio stories, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete.
The Book Cliffs look almost purple in some places. That’s because Mancos shale makes up the base of these cliffs. That rough, grayish stone gives way to the softer, tan sandstone that makes up the higher levels.
The Saddlehorn Amphitheater, built during the 1960s. This was part of the “Mission 66 era,” when the Federal Government worked to revitalize national parks after WWII. The amphitheater has hosted live music, plays, educational talks, ranger programs, and community gatherings over the decades.
This is a small wooden rest stop for travellers built in 1937. When the Great Depression hit, millions of Americans were unemployed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt developed the Civilian Conservation Corp, putting thousands of young men to work on conservation projects around America.
When John Otto first started exploring this area, he gave the distinctive rock formations patriotic names. One of the most famous is Independence Monument, a towering monolith that soars above the valley below.
In Monument Canyon, you’ll see more of the colorful layers of sandstone we’ve been talking about today. These distinctive layers sit on top of the Uncompahgre Plateau. “Uncompahgre” is a Ute word that means “rocks that made the water red.” That description is certainly accurate. The distinctive orange and red-colored rocks come from the abundance of iron here.
While today we might think of a coke bottle, these formations were actually named for the brick ovens that were used to heat coal into coke in the 19th century. Coke is one of the raw materials used to make steel.
One reason people do this hike is to find petroglyphs, or ancient picture writings carved directly into the stone. Protected under small overhangs of rock, two separate pictographs are carved into the soft sandstone of the canyon.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
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Ratings come from 5 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- You can also begin the tour from 3CCG+4RR, Grand Junction, CO, USA. The tour works in both directions, so you can begin in Fruita and end in Grand Junction or vice versa.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Guide With Action
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
- Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
- At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
- Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
- Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
- More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
How it compares in USA, outside the cities
- Its from-price is 77% below the median of the 2274 experiences we list in USA, outside the cities.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 591 of 2274.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
Special offers in USA, outside the cities
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
