Monday, October 7, 2024

California couple goes viral for sharing top places to visit in the US ‘at least once in your life’

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Travelers from California are grabbing attention on TikTok for revealing some must-visit spots in the United States.

Stephen Jiroch and his wife, Giselle, are content creators who have been traveling the globe for years.

Jiroch told Fox News Digital that he and his wife taught themselves photography during the pandemic and took road trips to find beautiful places on their home turf.

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“We’ve visited 35 of the U.S. states together, and it’s been incredible in the past four years,” he said. 

World travelers from California are sharing destinations that they believe to be must-sees in the United States. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

With 1 million followers on their social media account titled The Lovers Passport, the pair shared their top suggestions for places to visit in a lifetime.

While the majority of the spots on Jiroch’s must-visit list are national parks, he said it speaks to the beauty of the United States and said traveling abroad isn’t always necessary.

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US destinations to see now, according to the Jirochs

sequoia national park in California

Sequoia National Park was named on the Jirochs’ must-visit list. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

Sequoia National Park — Tulare County, California 

“The first one, top of our minds, is Sequoia National Park,” Jiroch said, adding, “This place blew our minds because [it has] the biggest trees in the world.”

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Glacier Bay National Park — Southeast Alaska

You get to see all of these glaciers calving into the ocean, and it has one of the biggest glaciers in the entire world,” Jiroch said of Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park.

Jiroch also noted that taking a cruise in the area can be a great way to see the phenomena up close. 

Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska was also named on the list. The adventurous spot offers views of snow-capped mountains as well as a chance to see whales and more wildlife. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

Great Smoky Mountains — Tennessee

“We just went to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, which we thought was super unique,” Jiroch said. 

“For us, growing up on the West Coast, we don’t think of the East Coast as being very mountainous … because there are so many on the West Coast,” he added. 

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Jiroch said the national park is the most visited one in the United States and was “jaw-droppingly beautiful.”

great smoky mountains in Alaska

The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee were noted for having stunning views and for being “world renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains” and more, according to the National Park Service. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park — Kauai County, Hawaii

This national park on the island of Kauai is rugged and full of beauty thanks to its “insane cliffs,” Jiroch said.

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“It [has] this beautiful blue water that leads up to these thousand-foot cliffs above — just magnificent,” he added. 

Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park in Hawaii

The Jirochs visited the Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park in Hawaii and said it’s a must-see. While visiting, check out the cliffs, blue waters and learn about the history. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

White Sands National Park — New Mexico

Jiroch recommended visiting White Sands National Park in New Mexico, specifically at sunrise. 

“We applied for a permit to go in for sunrise,” he said, explaining, “Typically the park during sunset, there are hundreds of people all over the place… but if you apply for a special entry permit to go in for the morning, we had it all to ourselves.

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Rocky Mountains National Park — Northern Colorado

Jiroch said the Rocky Mountains National Park is one of his and his wife’s favorite spots. 

“I think it’s a very underrated national park because everyone talks about Boulder and all of these other areas, but there’s so much hiking and so many beautiful lakes are really accessible right outside of Denver,” he said. 

rocky mountain national park (emerald lake) in New Mexico

Rocky Mountain National Park in Northern Colorado offers hiking and lakes throughout. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

The content creator also noted that there are great hiking options throughout as well. 

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Zion National Park — Southwest Utah

“It’s such a beautiful spot, and it’s so diverse,” he said, noting that there are various perspectives to take in the views through hiking paths and rock climbing.

Glacier and people on a boat by the beach

TikTok travel creators shared the top spots in the U.S. to see before you die. (Giselle & Stephen Jiroch)

Yosemite National Park — California

Jiroch added one spot to the list, which was featured on his and his wife’s TikTok page.

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“Our personal favorite is Yosemite,” he said, adding, “If I was to tell one person that was visiting the U.S. or that lived in the U.S. places that they need to visit at least once in their life, that would be on the short list.”

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