Couple who visited all 63 US national parks names which one is the ‘best’
They also listed other awards, such as "most underrated," "most epic" and "most awe-inspiring."
There's a reason they call it "America The Beautiful."
Longing to visit one of America’s many national parks, and not sure where to start? One traveling couple just made deciding a whole heck of a lot easier.
Matt and Karen Smith have been to all of them. That’s right. All 63 of them. They even survived a plane crash to hit the milestone (more on that later).
In a short and sweet 30-second video posted to their Instagram account, Matt and Karen place certain parks into special categories, like “best wildlife sightings,” “most underrated,” and “most awe inspiring,” all before revealing which park, in their opinion, is “the best of everything.”
Of course, it might be hard to really take in the information the duo give during the first watch, because they captured some truly breathtaking views—from lush forest to galloping buffalo to backdrops that look like they belong to an alien planet.
So here’s the breakdown, for easy reading:
Washington’s Olympic National Park was named “most diverse” as Karen walked through what looked like a mix between rainforest and something out of Dr. Suess.
Death Valley in California won “most otherworldly” for its “Mad Max”-esque terrain
Both Montana’s Glacier and Mount Rainier in Washington tied for “most epic hiking trails,” while Utah’s Zion National park got “most unique hiking trails.”
Utah’s Bryce Canyon was dubbed “most enchanting” as the camera panned under a picturesque stone arch to reveal colorful stone cliffs.
Rounding out the list, South Dakota’s Badlands got “most underrated,” Yellowstone got the accolade of “best wildlife sightings” and “most awe-inspiring” went to the Grand canyon.
Lastly, “best of everything” went to…drumroll please…
…Grand Teton in Wyoming.
While this list is based off of Karen and Matt’s experience, they wrote in the caption, “the great thing about our parks is that you get to experience them for yourself and make your own best of’ memories, which will of course be different from ours.”
The couple have a wanderlust so strong that not even a plane crash couldn’t thwart their plans. According to the Seattle Times, they were flying back from a visit to Lake Clark National Park in Alaska in 2011 when their plane flew into a float plane mid air. Luckily, both aircrafts were able to land safely and no injuries were had.
Next time you’re longing for the exotic sights of faraway places, remember that sometimes your own backyard has so much natural splendor to offer.