To travel is to live, and this couple has done just that.
A Seattle couple who stepped foot on all 63 national parks across America — and even survived a plane crash — gave their takes on which “otherworldly” parks they enjoyed and recommend for tourists.
Outdoor content creators Matt Smith and his wife Karen gave Instagram viewers a sneak peek into their traveling experiences that have taken them across the US, sharing breathtaking views from the iconic Grand Canyon to Death Valley in California.
“It’s impossible to list all the wonders of 63 national parks in a 30-second reel,” the couple wrote in a caption under the video.
“But 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 traveling pair is seen at the beginning of the video smiling together before placing their national park trips in categories such as most underrated, most epic and most awe-inspiring.
The couple named Olympic National Park as the “most diverse” park to kick off their superlatives list while the backdrop in the video captures Karen taking a stroll around the historic Washington State landmark.
California’s famed Death Valley National Park was listed as the “most other-worldly park” as Matt and Kate gave viewers some of the most top-notch views of the scorching hot desert.
Montana’s well-known Glacier Park and Washington State’s Mount Rainer Park were up next, with both given the accolade for “most epic hiking trails.”
As the video continues, wild bison are seen walking along the road before a lone wolf paces across the snow in another location — ultimately revealing to viewers the historic Yellowstone National Park.
The park was awarded by Matt and Kate for “best wildlife sightings.”
The “most enchanting” went to Bryce Canyon in Utah as Zion National Park, another Utah site-seeing landmark, earned “most unique.”
Down at the bottom of the list was Grand Canyon National Park, given “most awe-inspiring,” with South Dakota’s Badlands National Park trailing behind in the video as “most undeterred.”
Saving the best for last, the final award went to Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park — named by the couple as “the best of everything.”
Matt and Karen Smith have been everywhere, but their journey is even more special considering they may never have gotten to tell the world about it.
The pair survived a harrowing a plane crash after visiting Lake Clark National Park in Alaska in 2011.
The two had left the park when their Piper Navajo, flying at about 2,300 feet, collided with a floatplane that flew in the same direction, according to the Seattle Times.
Both planes that hit each other were miraculously able to land safely and the couple walked out with no injuries.
