GuideAlong: The App That Changed Our National Park Road Trips

I feel like every road trip planner has that one thing they discover and immediately think, “How did we ever travel without this?”

For us, that’s GuideAlong. It’s my #1 recommendation and I could talk about it probably way too much! 

We first discovered the app when we went to Yellowstone last year, and it honestly changed the way we explored the park. So when we started planning our 14-day Southwest road trip, there was no question—we were using it again.

Actually, I may have gone a little overboard. 😂

The Black Friday Deal I Couldn’t Pass Up

Over Thanksgiving, I found a Black Friday deal for the Southwest bundle, which included all of the maps for the area.

Did we plan to visit every single location included?

Nope.

Did I buy the bundle anyway?

Absolutely. 😂

It was such a good deal that it was hard to pass up!

And the best part is that even though I purchased all of them, I didn’t have to download every map onto my phone.

I only downloaded the ones we needed for our trip.

That means I wasn’t taking up a ton of storage on my phone, and once the maps were downloaded, they worked offline.

And that is HUGE when you’re traveling through National Parks where cell service can be spotty—or completely nonexistent.

It Was More Than Just a Map

I think that’s what I love most about GuideAlong.

It’s not really just a map.

It’s like having a tour guide riding around in the car with you.

As you’re driving, the narrator shares information about what you’re seeing, the history of the area, interesting facts, and things you might otherwise completely miss.

And you don’t have to constantly be looking at your phone.

You’re driving, looking out the window, and listening.

It made the actual drive part of the experience.

Yellowstone Is Where We Fell in Love With It

When we went to Yellowstone last year, I had done something very unlike me.

I planned our camp grounds.

And…

That’s about it. 😂

I didn’t have every hike mapped out.

I didn’t have every overlook scheduled.

I didn’t have a detailed itinerary telling us where we needed to be at 9:15, 10:30, and 11:45.

We basically showed up and let GuideAlong help us figure it out.

And it was trip changing.

The app gave us information about the hikes, including how long they might take, how difficult they were, what we could expect to see, and which ones they recommended.

It gave us the kind of information that would have taken me weeks of research to gather on my own.

And if you know me, you know I LOVE to plan.

So for me to say, “I didn’t have to research every single thing myself,” says a lot. 😂

We Used It All Over the Southwest

When we started our Southwest road trip, GuideAlong came with us.

We used it throughout our National Park adventures and even used it for Route 66.

And Route 66 was another place where I really appreciated having it.

As we drove, it told us about the history of the road, the towns we were passing through, and some of the interesting places we would have probably driven right past without realizing their significance.

That made the drive itself feel like part of the adventure.

Some of the places where it really helped us:

🏜️ Great Sand Dunes

🏛️ Mesa Verde

🌵 Bryce Canyon

🏞️ Zion

🏜️ Grand Canyon

🛣️ Route 66

And so many of the little stops in between.

My Favorite Part: The Details

Anyone can pull up a map and see where the attractions are.

What made GuideAlong different for us was the commentary and details.

It helped answer questions like:

How long is this hike?

Is it actually difficult?

Is it worth stopping here?

What am I looking at?

What’s the history behind this place?

What should I expect?

Those are the things that can turn a pretty view into an actual experience.

And sometimes it even helped us decide what NOT to do.

Because let’s be honest…

You can’t do everything.

Especially when you’re trying to squeeze a whole lot of Southwest into 14 days. 😂

Download Before You Go!

One thing I highly recommend is downloading your maps before you leave.

Don’t wait until you’re sitting in a National Park with no cell service trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do.

Download the map while you have Wi-Fi, and then you’re ready to go.

That’s one of the reasons I love that we can use it offline.

Is It Worth It?

For our family?

1000% yes.

We’ve now used GuideAlong for two major trips, and I can’t imagine exploring National Parks without it.

It gave us information we wouldn’t have known to look for, helped us decide what was worth our time, and made the drive itself more interesting.

And probably my favorite thing about it is that it helped me find a balance between planning and actually enjoying the trip.

I still had my list.

I still had places I wanted to see.

I still tried to fit way too much into our itinerary. 😂

But I didn’t feel like I had to research every single mile of the trip.

Sometimes, we could just get in the car, turn on GuideAlong, and see where the road took us.

And isn’t that what a road trip is supposed to be?

Less checking boxes. More making memories. ❤️

Safe travels & happy memory making! ✨