Self Guided Driving Audio Tour Grand Staircase

A person driving a car with a GPS device mounted on the dashboard. 1

A road with a yellow center line, flanked by red rock formations and green vegetation under a clear blue sky. 2

By Gypsy Guide GPS LLC

Free cancellation available

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Features

Free cancellation available
6h
Mobile voucher
Instant confirmation

Overview

Download GuideAlong's Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument audio tour for a stunning scenic drive across the vast geologic “staircase” that connects Bryce and Capitol Reef.

On this day-long drive of the Grand Staircase, we traverse the Hogback Ridgeline, identify the distinct “steps” at Powell Point Vista, and enjoy sweeping vistas of Escalante National Monument. The petrified forest offers a glimpse of a lost world and an optional detour leads down into Spooky Gulch.

Driving along the Grand Staircase is the best way to connect a roadtrip of Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands) into a scenic yet convenient loop.

Stories, tips, and directions play automatically based on your location
Travel at your own pace
Tour offline using GPS. No cell service or WiFi is needed
Suggested itineraries for half, full, or multi-day use
No time limits or expiry, and free updates

Activity location

Red Canyon Visitor Center
- 5375 Ut-12
- 84759, Panguitch, Utah, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

12 UT-24
- 12 Utah 24
- 84775, Torrey, Utah, United States

Multiple meeting/redemption points available, see location information for full list

Check availability

Dates

Travelers

Self Guided Driving Audio Tour Grand Staircase in English

6h
Opening hours: Mon 6:00am-6:00pm
English

Language options: English

Price details

$9.99 x 2 Travelers$19.98

Total

What's included, what's not

Support: Toll free phone, chat and email
Easy To Use: Pre-download and tour offline
Trip Planners: In-app, web and PDF
Location Based: Stories, tips & directions that autoplay
GuideAlong (GyPSy Guide) Audio Tour: 150+ Points
Includes an app-based self-guided experience, so you do not need any in-person guide.
Buy once, use forever! No expiry, includes free updates
Flexible Routes: Suggested itineraries or create your own
Entry Fees, National Park Passes, Reservations

Know before you book

- Public transportation options are available nearby
- 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.

Activity itinerary

Red Canyon Visitor Center

Surrounded by brilliant red cliffs and ponderosa pines, this visitor center is a perfect introduction to Utah’s Scenic Byway 12. Stop for maps and local information, then explore nearby trails and get your first close-up look at the colorful formations that make Red Canyon so memorable.

Red Canyon Arch

Drive beneath Red Canyon’s iconic red-rock tunnels, one of the most recognizable sights along Highway 12. Framed by towering sandstone formations, these dramatic gateways offer a striking preview of the landscapes waiting farther along the route.

Bryce Canyon National Park

10m
Admission ticket not included

Famous for thousands of towering hoodoos, Bryce Canyon looks unlike almost anywhere else on Earth. Enter the park to admire vast natural amphitheaters from overlooks like Sunrise and Sunset Points, or hike among the colorful rock spires for an even closer look.

Mossy Cave Trail

10m
Admission ticket not included

Follow a short creekside trail into a surprisingly lush corner of Bryce Canyon country. Along the way, see colorful hoodoos, a small waterfall, and the sheltered grotto known as Mossy Cave, where seasonal ice formations can sometimes linger into warmer months.

Cannonville

This small pioneer town sits at the gateway to some of Grand Staircase–Escalante’s most dramatic backcountry scenery. Pass through its quiet streets while discovering how Mormon settlers built communities in this remote and challenging corner of southern Utah.

Henrieville

Surrounded by colorful cliffs and open ranchland, Henrieville is one of the tiny communities scattered along Scenic Byway 12. Learn how early settlers adapted to life in this isolated landscape and how ranching helped sustain generations of local families.

Henrieville Cemetery

This small historic cemetery offers a quiet glimpse into the lives of the families who settled southern Utah. Walk among simple graves and pioneer names while reflecting on the hardships faced by those who created communities in this rugged desert environment.

Powell Point

Look toward the towering cliffs of Powell Point, a prominent landmark rising above the surrounding plateau country. Its colorful rock layers reveal millions of years of geologic history and provide a dramatic reminder of the immense scale of the Grand Staircase landscape.

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

10m
Admission ticket not included

Step into a landscape filled with colorful fragments of trees that turned to stone millions of years ago. Follow trails past brilliant petrified wood, enjoy views over Wide Hollow Reservoir, or pay the park entrance fee to explore this remarkable window into Utah’s prehistoric past.

Spooky Gulch

Squeeze through one of southern Utah’s most famous slot canyons, where twisting sandstone walls narrow to just inches in places. Reaching Spooky Gulch requires a backcountry side trip, but adventurous hikers are rewarded with an unforgettable journey through sculpted desert rock.

Head of the Rocks Overlook

Stop high above the Escalante Canyons for sweeping views across miles of slickrock, cliffs, and winding desert terrain. This spectacular overlook reveals just how vast and rugged Grand Staircase–Escalante really is and makes an excellent stop for panoramic photographs.

Kiva Koffeehouse

Built into the dramatic landscape along Highway 12, this distinctive roadside stop blends naturally into the surrounding sandstone scenery. Pause for food or coffee while enjoying expansive views over the Escalante River canyon and the rugged wilderness beyond.

Calf Creek Falls Recreation Area

15m
Admission ticket not included

Tucked between towering sandstone walls, this scenic recreation area is the gateway to one of Utah’s most popular waterfall hikes. Stop beside Calf Creek, enjoy the shaded canyon setting, or pay the day-use fee and hike toward beautiful Lower Calf Creek Falls.

Escalante River Trailhead

Follow the Escalante River into a landscape of soaring canyon walls, cottonwood groves, and hidden traces of human history. This backcountry trail offers hikers a closer look at the waterway that carved through the sandstone and helped shape the region around it.

Calf Creek Viewpoint

10m
Admission ticket not included

Flowing year-round through an otherwise dry desert landscape, Calf Creek creates a ribbon of life beneath towering sandstone cliffs. Watch for cottonwoods, wildlife, and ancient cultural sites while discovering why this small stream has been so important to the surrounding ecosystem.

Calf Creek Falls Recreation Area

Look down into the winding canyon carved by Calf Creek and see how water has transformed the desert below. The viewpoint offers an impressive perspective on the contrast between pale slickrock, deep canyon walls, and the green vegetation following the creek.

Upper Calf Creek Falls

This trailhead leads to the lesser-known upper waterfall of Calf Creek, reached by a shorter but steeper hike than the famous lower falls. Descend across slickrock to discover a secluded cascade and swimming area tucked beneath sandstone cliffs.

Boulder

One of Utah’s most remote communities, Boulder remained inaccessible by paved road until well into the 20th century. Explore a town surrounded by mountains and slickrock while hearing how residents once relied on pack animals and difficult trails to stay connected with the outside world.

Boulder Mail Trailhead

This trail follows part of the historic route once used to carry mail between Boulder and Escalante. Hike into rugged canyon country and imagine the determination required to cross slickrock, streams, and steep terrain simply to keep these isolated communities connected.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Rising prominently above the surrounding landscape, Sugarloaf Mountain adds another dramatic landmark to the drive across southern Utah. Watch the terrain change around you as desert cliffs gradually give way to the higher forests and mountains of the Aquarius Plateau.

Burr Trail Road

Originally developed as a cattle route, the Burr Trail now offers one of southern Utah’s most spectacular scenic drives. Follow it through colorful canyons and slickrock country toward Capitol Reef, where dramatic switchbacks eventually descend into the Waterpocket Fold.

Dixie National Forest

Utah’s largest national forest stretches across mountains, plateaus, forests, and colorful canyon country. Drive beneath towering ponderosa pines and quaking aspens while watching the landscape change dramatically from the hot desert below to cool high-elevation forests.

Heritage Overlook

Pause at this elevated viewpoint for a broad look across southern Utah’s rugged high country. Sweeping forests, distant cliffs, and layered desert landscapes show how dramatically the terrain changes as Highway 12 climbs across the Aquarius Plateau.

Homestead Overlook

Take in a vast panorama of the valleys, mesas, and desert country stretching far below Boulder Mountain. On clear days, the immense view reveals the scale of southern Utah and offers a striking contrast between forested highlands and the arid landscape beyond.

Larb Hollow Overlook

One of Highway 12’s grandest viewpoints, Larb Hollow looks across an enormous expanse of cliffs, canyons, and distant desert formations. Stop here to appreciate the scale of the Waterpocket Fold country and the seemingly endless wilderness surrounding Capitol Reef.

Capitol Reef National Park

20m
Admission ticket not included

Centered around the enormous Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef protects a landscape of colorful cliffs, domes, canyons, and historic orchards. Explore scenic drives, ancient petroglyphs, and the pioneer community of Fruita while discovering how millions of years of uplift and erosion shaped this remarkable park.

Teasdale

Set beneath Boulder Mountain, Teasdale developed as a small agricultural community surrounded by orchards, fields, and spectacular red-rock scenery. Pass through this peaceful town while learning how settlers relied on farming and livestock to build lives in southern Utah.

Torrey

This welcoming gateway town sits just west of Capitol Reef National Park beneath dramatic cliffs and high mountain scenery. Stop for restaurants, lodging, and supplies, or simply enjoy the transition from the quiet streets of Torrey into the spectacular landscapes of the national park.

Escalante Interagency Visitor Center

A useful gateway to Grand Staircase–Escalante, this visitor center helps travelers understand the monument’s enormous and often remote landscape. Stop for maps, trail information, safety advice, and exhibits about the geology, wildlife, archaeology, and human history of the region.

Location

Activity location

Red Canyon Visitor Center
- 5375 Ut-12
- 84759, Panguitch, Utah, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

12 UT-24
- 12 Utah 24
- 84775, Torrey, Utah, United States
2938 UT-12
- 2938 Utah 12
- 84759, Panguitch, Utah, United States

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