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Colorado National Monument Audio Driving Guided Tour

1 Review |

Recommended by 100% of reviewers

| Colorado, USA

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3 to 4 hours (approx.)

Mobile ticket

Instant confirmation

Overview

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, and wild western beauty.
Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Tour Guide App by Action, entering your unique password, and accessing your tour. The preceding steps require good internet/Wi-Fi access. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

This is not an entrance ticket to attractions along the route. Check opening hours before your visit.

What's Included

Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!
Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone

Private vehicle entry to Colorado National Monument
Park Passes

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Meeting Location

Meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Colorado National Monument Sign

we’ll discover beautiful cliffs, ravines, and vistas. We’ll also hear about cattle rustlers, dinosaurs, and the famous “hermit of the Canyons.”

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Redlands View

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Balanced Rock View (Pass By)

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.

Fruita Canyon View

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Window Rock Nature Trail

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Book Cliffs View

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Amphitheater (Pass By)

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.

Saddlehorn Comfort Station

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Independence Monument View

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Monument Canyon View

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Coke Ovens Overlook

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Upper Monument Canyon Trailhead

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Upper Liberty Cap Trailhead

The Liberty Cap monument also got its name from our friend John Otto. I did say he had a fondness for patriotic names. This domed sandstone formation might remind you of the beehive shapes of the Coke Ovens. But why the name liberty cap? In the early 1800s, there was a penny in circulation that had a profile of Lady Liberty pressed onto the front.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Fallen Rock Overlook

Fallen Rock is a gigantic piece of Wingate Sandstone, topped with the more durable Kayenta Sandstone formation, like many of the monuments here. This piece was once attached to the nearby cliff with softer Chinle formation sandstone.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ute Canyon View Trail

The Ute Canyon Trail, a moderate 8-mile hike that takes about four hours to complete. Rather than doing this hike, I recommend just checking out the overlook at the trailhead, which we’ll see in a minute.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Red Canyon Overlook

This overlook gives you a view down into the Red Canyon. This canyon is almost untouched by humans, as no trails head directly down to it. If we decide to stop and take a look, we can hear a bit more about the canyon by tapping Learn More.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cold Shivers Point Overlook

It’s named because of the sheer drop on the other side of the guard rail. Unlike the other overlooks we've stopped at today, the edge of the road goes right up to the edge of the cliff here.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Devil’s Kitchen Trailhead

The next trail on our route is the Devil’s Kitchen Trail, a moderate two-mile that takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. It leads down to a series of sandstone monoliths that gather together like the walls of a small room. Arches within the pillars make windows that you can peer through.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Grand Junction (Pass By)

Grand Junction has come a long way since then. Today, it’s the fourth-largest city in Colorado, but still boasts plenty of wide open spaces. Along with the Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction is home to the Grand Mesa - where skiing and snowboarding are popular in the winter - and Rattlesnake Arches - a trail where you can see 35 natural stone arches formed by erosion.

Show 17 more stops

Additional Info

Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
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
Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

(6)

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Colorado National Monument Audio Driving Guided Tour?

A: You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund. For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (MDT). Read more Apr 2025

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

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Activity code: C-259640P36

Reviews

5.00

1 reviews

Average 5.00 out of 5 stars based on 1 traveler reviews collected by City Boat Tours and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

5 stars

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The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from City Boat Tours customers.

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Colorado National Monument Audio Driving Guided Tour?

A:

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (MDT).

Apr 2025

Q: What's included in the price?

A:

The following is included:

Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!.
Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!.
Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!.
Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!.
Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!.
Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!.
Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone.

The following is NOT included:

Private vehicle entry to Colorado National Monument.
Park Passes.

Apr 2025

Q: What is the minimum age for this tour?

A:

There is no minimum age for this tour, so bring your wee one along for an adventure..

Apr 2025

Q: My date is not available in the calendar, I am just checking to see if it is available?

A:

If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.

If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.

Apr 2025

Q: Is this an accessible tour?

A:

Accessibility information for the Colorado National Monument Audio Driving Guided Tour is as follows:

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Apr 2025

Q: Where is the meeting point for this activity?

A:

Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for Colorado National Monument Audio Driving Guided Tour will be included in your confirmation email from City Boat Tours. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!

Mar 2024