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6 tips to beat the crowds at national parks, from a couple who visited all 63 of them

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2 weeks ago

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  • Matt and Karen Smith, college sweethearts, quit their jobs in 2010 to visit every US national park.
  • They love hiking and wildlife but aren’t exactly fans of crowds. 
  • The Smiths shared their best tips for avoiding crowded national parks. 

Summer is approaching, and for many Americans, that means one thing: It’s the season to get out and explore a US national park.

Last year, the National Parks Service reported that over 325 million people visited at least one of the national parks in the US, a 4% jump from the previous year.

With such numbers, crowds are almost inevitable. But, according to Matt and Karen Smith, a couple who has been to every major US national park, there are several ways to avoid falling into a throng of tourists.

The Smiths are both 63 and met at college in Kansas. “For the first 25 years of marriage, we were focused on going to work and getting a paycheck and raising kids,” Matt told Business Insider.

In 2010, they became empty nesters, with the youngest of their three children going off to college. After moving to Seattle and being introduced to the national parks by close friends, they decided to set out on an adventure using their savings to visit all 63 national parks in the US.

Their adventure took them to far-flung corners of the US, like American Samoa and north of the Arctic circle. Along the way, they wrote emails to their friends, Bob and Sue, who had inspired them to explore the national parks. Eventually, they compiled those emails — anecdotes and observations about their national parks experiences — into their first book “Dear Bob and Sue.”

Today, Matt and Karen regularly share national parks content on Instagram and on their podcast. Here, the national parks veterans share with Business Insider their tips on how to beat the crowds.

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