‘GMA’s Epic Camp Out: Road-Tripping Couple Aims to Visit Every National Park in 1 Year

By DOUG VOLLMAYER

Originally published on ABC News.

 

One adventurous pair, Stefanie Payne and her partner, Jonathan Irish, have put their lives inWashington, D.C. on hold for a year in order to move into a tiny travel trailer and take a road trip to each of the nation’s 59 national parks.

Payne, a creative product development lead at NASA, and Irish, a photographer for National Geographic, are fulfilling their lifelong dreams.

PHOTO: Stefanie Payne and her partner, Jonathan Irish, have put their lives in Washington D.C. on hold for a year in order to take a road trip to each of the nations 59 national parks.
Stefanie Payne and her partner, Jonathan Irish, have put their lives in Washington D.C. on hold for a year in order to take a road trip to each of the nation’s 59 national parks.

So far their travels have taken them to some of the most spectacular landmarks in the country — from the grandeur of the Grand Canyon to the gushing geysers of Yellowstone National Park, the Guadeloupe Mountains in Texas, the Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio and Joshua Tree in California, among others.

The couple recently visited the Sequoia National park in South Central California, which is home to the largest tree on the planet.

“This park is like every other park, blowing our minds once again,” Irish said at Sequoia.

PHOTO: Stefanie Payne and her partner, Jonathan Irish, have put their lives in Washington D.C. on hold for a year in order to take a road trip to each of the nations 59 national parks.
PHOTO: Stefanie Payne and her partner, Jonathan Irish, have put their lives in Washington D.C. on hold for a year in order to take a road trip to each of the nations 59 national parks.

Many breathtaking images of the parks are captured in the new IMAX film “National Parks Adventure.”

President Woodrow Wilson officially created the National Park Service 100 years ago. The system — encompassing 84 million acres of protected land from Alaska to the Florida Keys –- is enjoyed by hundreds of millions of visitors every year.

Good Morning America” is celebrating the centennial. Take a trip to stunning parks across America on “GMA” at 7 a.m. ET all week on “GMA”’s Epic Camp Out series.

Send “GMA” Your #MyParkGMA Photo Now!

2018-07-27T09:44:06-05:00
Go to Top