Self-Guided Audio Tours for the Canadian Rockies

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Banff, Canada

12 hours to 1 day (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

This audio tour service takes visitors on an incredible journey through craggy mountains, sparking lakes, and colossal glaciers. Spot exciting wildlife along one of the world’s most scenic drives. This self-guided audio tour allows visitors to go beyond the surface and discover behind-the-scenes stories, local tips, and directions invaluable to understanding the area like a local.

Enjoy the freedom to explore at your own pace and customise your journey.
GyPSy Guide App and Audio Driving Tour included.
Email, chat, and call support available.
A unique and informative way to experience the Canadian Rockies.

What's Included

GuideAlong (GyPSy Guide) Audio Tour: 520 Points
Location Based: Stories, tips & directions that autoplay
Flexible Routes: Suggested itineraries or create your own
Trip Planners: In-app, web and PDF
Easy To Use: Pre-download and tour offline
Buy once, use forever! No expiry, includes free updates
Support: Toll free phone, chat and email

National Park Passes
Attractions (Banff Gondola, Hot Springs, Cave & Basin) ticket prices vary.
Admission Fee - Banff Upper Hot Springs

$17.50 per booking
Admission Fee - Cave and Basin National Historic Site

$9.00 per booking

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Banff National Park
Improvement District No. 9, AB T0L, Canada
Start at (Banff, Jasper or Yoho National Park entrance gates) or join anywhere along the tour route. After booking, search your email for “Download Audio Tour" and follow the instructions to download now over Wi-Fi/cell service. Then, preview the start location/s and tour route in the app.

End point

Jasper National Park
Jasper, AB T0E 1E0, Canada
Commentary plays automatically based on your location, so you have flexibility on where and when you want to start and end your tour anywhere along the tour route.

Arranged start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

05/16/2023 - 05/03/2027
Monday - Sunday : 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Itinerary

Banff Gondola

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bow Falls

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Surprise Corner

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cave and Basin National Historic Site

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Banff Upper Hot Springs

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Lake Minnewanka

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hoodoos Trail

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Vermilion Lakes

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bow Valley Parkway (Pass By)

Johnston Canyon

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Moraine Lake

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Icefields Parkway

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Yoho National Park

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Takakkaw Falls

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Emerald Lake

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lower Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Parker Ridge Trail

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Crowfoot Glacier

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bow Lake

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Lake Louise

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Weeping Wall (Pass By)

Jasper SkyTram

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Athabasca Glacier

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Sunwapta Falls and Canyon

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Peyto Lake

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pyramid and Patricia Lakes

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Maligne Canyon

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Maligne Lake

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Athabasca Falls

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Fort Point Loop Trail

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Mt. Edith Cavell

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Miette Hot Springs

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Canadian Rockies

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
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.
Bring Earbuds/Headphones: Bring earbuds to continue listening to driving tours on park shuttles and conveniently listen to walking tours.
Technical Support: The GuideAlong support team is available daily by toll-free phone, online chat, and email.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 18 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

This made our trip so much more interesting!

maria_d, Jul 2025

The guide was so helpful and easy to use. It was like having your own private tour guide in the car.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Hi Maria, We’re so glad to hear that our Canadian Rockies audio tour made your trip more interesting and enjoyable. It’s great that you felt like you had a private tour guide in the car. We hope to join you on the road again soon!

Fantastic app, highly recommend!

Brennan_B, Oct 2024

Icefields Parkway was amazing and so much better with the narration. So good for spotting features you would not recognise on your own

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Hi Brennan, thank you for the wonderful review. We're thrilled that the narration enhanced your experience on the Icefields Parkway and helped you spot features you might have missed. We hope to join you on the road again soon!

Felt like a live tour guide in our car with us

JB_E, Oct 2024

We absolutely LOVED having this guide on our trip. So many interesting tips and facts that we would have otherwise missed. The narrator pointed out so much interesting history, geography, nature and even some funny stories. It truly kept us engaged and exploring even longer just to see everything that was mentioned. We went on and purchased another guide for SW Alberta & Waterton to continue our road trip because we enjoyed it so much.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Hi, thank you for sharing your experience with our Self-Guided Audio Tours for the Canadian Rockies. We're thrilled you enjoyed the tour and purchased another SW Alberta & Waterton guide to continue your adventure. We hope to join you on the road again soon!

This Guide made our trip!

Aaron_K, Sep 2024

This ride along Guide made our trip! We downloaded the app and tour before we left home - we also got the free "Calgary to Banff" tour. So we just hooked our phone to the rental car (Bluetooth) before even leaving the airport, and just started driving. Our guide (who we started calling Tom) just starts talking when you approach a given point - like there's some wise and friendly buddy in the back seat the whole trip. He gave us no-nonsense directions to Banff so we didn't need to fiddle with gps. And out on the highway told us all about the sites we passed - giving us great details about the popular ones, and telling us about hidden gems we would have missed otherwise. He also filled the sometimes long drives between sites with history and lore. We had to do a lot of pivoting due to wildfires, weather, and tour companies. But Tom was always there to take us on another adventure along the road. He had sites along the main highway, along the less-traveled "back" way, and even all the way up on the Icefields parkway and into Yoho. And when we left the rental car and hiked, or took busses to some of the more crowded sites, we just brought along our phone with earbuds and Tom loaded up. He was full of useful and interesting tidbits wherever we went. Due to wildfires we couldn't drive north of the Saskatchewan River crossing. But we WERE able to open the app and hit each tour spot along the map by hand to hear Tom's commentary. It's not like the real thing, but it gave us some idea of what we weren't allowed to see in person. Since we'd downloaded the entire tour before we left, we never had a problem accessing it even where there was no phone signal. And when it was finally time to go home, Tom even gave us directions back to the Calgary airport. I really can't recommend this one enough!

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Hi Aaron, thank you for the detailed and enthusiastic review of our audio-driving tour of the Canadian Rockies. It's great to hear you enjoyed the tour so much that you named the narrator "Tom." He became a trusted travel companion, providing no-nonsense directions and enriching your journey with historical insights and hidden local gems. Despite the challenges posed by wildfires and other unforeseen circumstances, we're glad that our tour was able to adapt and continue guiding you through various adventures. Thank you for highlighting how the offline feature of the app helped overcome areas with no phone signal. We appreciate your high recommendation and look forward to joining you on the road again soon!

The Best Choice!

Robert_L, Aug 2024

Great narrator and great seamless connections between different Canadian Rockies segments. Better than other audio tours we have used!

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Hi Robert, thank you for sharing your experience with our Self-Guided Audio Tours for the Canadian Rockies. It's wonderful that you found our tour better than the others you've used. We look forward to joining you on the road again soon!

So good… get it!

David_T, Jun 2024

We’ve toured so many places on our own. I honestly didn’t want to get this but my wife thought it wouldn’t hurt if we needed it (Banff vacation; our first time there). We loved it. Great information, amazing navigation and enjoyable to listen to. Really cool technology that works to take stress out of the vacation experience.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Hi David, thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that you loved the tour despite your initial reservations. It's wonderful that you found the information, navigation, and overall experience enjoyable. We're glad the technology helped make your Banff vacation stress-free. We hope to join you on the road again soon!

Great GPS linked audio guide

Katherine_L, Jun 2024

The audio guide was very useful with good commentary. The GPS linked guide was especially helpful in remote mountain areas without phone receptions.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Hi Katherine, thank you for sharing your experience with our audio tour through the Canadian Rockies We're delighted to hear that you found the stories on the local history, culture, geology, wildlife and more so interesting. The offline commentary and location-tracking of the app is definitely a great feature in the Rockies! We hope to join you on the road again soon.

There and back

Pam_J, Jun 2024

Once I figured out the download process the program was easy to use. Well articulated, interesting facts, good stories. Made the trip more enjoyable.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Hi Pam, thank you for sharing how much more enjoyable our audio tour made your trip to the Canadian Rockies. We're so glad to hear how interesting the facts and stories were, and hope to join you on the road again.

Amazing Drive with a knowledgeable friend

Victor_Q, Aug 2023

Excellent, information just at the right time during the drive! Imagine you are driving with that knowledgeable best friend! It was easy following waypoints and planning hikes along our route. The tour guide was witty and presented information ahead of time to choose side trips. We bought the whole Rocky Mountain Tour which transformed a beautiful drive into the best family trip to date. My two boys stopped playing video games and asked when we will finish the rest of the audio tour. The historical knowledge and information here is indispensable. Even if you drive passed these mountains regularly, you will learn something new and enjoy the drive even more. We are a skiing family and drive to the Rockies several times per year and so thankful to come across this tour. Please make the license available to Mom and Dad! My wife is now giving me the stink eye because the tour only works on my phone - LOL

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thanks for taking the time to share such a detailed overview of your experience with our audio tour, Victor! We're truly touched by your description that it was like traveling with your knowledgable best friend (this is exactly what we aim for!) and that the kids enjoyed listening along. The audio tours are associated with the Apple or Google account that they're purchased with as you only need the one device per vehicle to listen to the tour - and all the trip planning information is available without needing to purchase anything. But, if you're headed anywhere where you would need multiple devices such as parks with mandatory shuttles, be sure to reach out to us so you don't get the stink eye.