What is THEPARKGUIDE/GaperGuide?
It is the absolute best way to see the parks at your own pace! It is a totally automatic audio tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks that follows you wherever you go as you drive. It explains about the parks’ histories, science and interesting facts, and even points out the where animals live, the good hikes, picnic areas and bathrooms. Don’t miss out on the hidden gems in the parks!
The Old Name
gap•er (gā‘pər), n. 1. Person who gapes in openmouthed surprise or wonder. 2. One who stops and stares at something and says, “What is that?”
Our electronic audio guide tells “gapers” about the parks as they drive, it is a gaper-guide.
We are now also theparkguide to give folks a better idea about what we do!
Audio Samples:
This is what you hear when you are approaching the intersection at West Thumb, in Yellowstone, from the south.
Almost everyone that comes to Grand Teton and Yellowstone wants to see a bear, and some places are better than others…
The parks are full of trails to get you closer to the scenery and stretch your legs; the GaperGuide provides information about the trails when you approach the trailheads.
The Idea
One afternoon in April of 2005, Will Ferguson and Katie Lee were hiking up Garnet Canyon in Grand Teton National Park, and Will had not been living in the area very long so he was pointing at stuff and asking a lot of questions. Katie had been living in the valley and hiking the Tetons for several years, so she answered his steady stream of queries with the history, stories and statistics she knew, and the rumors she had heard. On the hike back down, they got to talking about how “cool it would be if there was a device that would tell you all these things as you traveled around” and the idea for GaperGuide was born. The idea really includes all modes of transport where you might see things that you have questions about, but the current tours are for the vast majority of travelers in United States National Parks: people driving cars.
Will Ferguson – founder
I grew up in Southern California, but developed my love of the national parks during road trips across America with my parents in a 1972 Honda Civic. Just about every summer we made a loop through New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Wisconsin to visit family and see the country from the car. We tried going through all the parks we could, but with my mom navigating and the map blowing in her face and my dad driving past the off-ramps, I’m sure we missed a lot. My little grey mutt Caboose and I watched it all go by and wondered about what we were seeing. I still prefer to drive when I am traveling, and usually have a dog for a co-pilot, guide books, and wrinkled maps to look at when I stop. If you share my curiosity about the natural wonders of the U.S., we can help you satisfy it.
Enjoy!
