Backroad Odyssey : Travel Stories, Van Life & Road Trip Oddities
Traveling America's backroads, road trip experts - Noah and Noodles - explore fascinating locations overlooked while traveling.
Living out of a van, they unravel the - often shocking - story behind each neglected story or location.
If you love travel, exploration and unique locations - join us on the road!
Backroad Odyssey : Travel Stories, Van Life & Road Trip Oddities
Van Life Diaries - America's First National Park City
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What's a National Park City?
My dog Noodles and I hike the trails of America's FIRST National Park City - Chattanooga, Tennessee - to find out!
The answer might surprise you ...
We'll also answer listener question at the end - which include:
- How would you rank the National Parks you've been to?
- Just listened to the Civil War series, how much research would you recommend doing before visiting Gettysburg?
- What area of the country is most "van-friendly?"
Works Cited:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24889660?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents
https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/yellowstoneestablishment.htm
https://www.history.com/articles/yellowstone-national-park-origins
https://www.doi.gov/blog/americas-public-lands-explained
https://www.nationalparkcity.org/national-park-cities/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJasV-itdoc
https://www.nps.gov/efmo/learn/historyculture/the-ovement-to-create-a-national-park-in-iowa.htm
Noah and Noodles here!
We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.
Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.
Follow each adventure visually at:
https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/
What is a National Park City?
Speaker 1What if your city became a national park city ? This was a question asked by London , england , adelaide , australia and , most recently , chattanooga , tennessee . What is a national park city ? We ask ourselves these questions as we camp the various slopes , parks and rivers of America's first national park city at the foothills of the Smokies . Safe travels , please care to share what you think . Oh , noodles , what do you see ? Backroad Odyssey , welcome to Van Life Diaries . I'm your host , noah , joined as always by my co-host and dog , noodles the Woodle . If you've been with the show , how's it going ? If you're new here , glad to have you .
Speaker 1For about a week Chattanooga was home base for Noodles and I . We hiked its trails , walked its parks and generally took in the sights of America's first national park city . And we had two primary questions well there . One , what is a national park city ? And two , does this title carry any weight at all ? Right , when you don the title of a national park city , what expectations , obligations or requirements do you have to meet ? We'll answer all of this and more . We'll also answer listener questions at the end of the episode . But for now , join Noodles and I mid-hike about a mile past Rainbow Lake Trailhead west of the city .
Speaker 1We've been in Chattanooga for a couple days now , on our way to a creek to hang out to work for a little bit . I've passed through the city a few times to stop in the past for whiskey , honestly , but this is my first time spending any meaningful time exploring First thoughts a lot of nice people , a lot of parks , crazy amounts of trees . Particularly downtown it's like every available space is filled up up . Good hikes in and out of the city , I think . I think there's over 100 parks in the city , 40 something miles of trails , dirt bike routes , various waterways . What have you ? And all this has me right now , at this moment , agreeing with its designation as a national park city for what it's worth . But before we delve into exactly what that means , I think it's important to understand at its core what a national park is , a bit of the history legacy and , most importantly , what the idea , the image of a national park Yellowstone , glacier , yosemite means to
The Birth of National Parks
Speaker 1people . Because national park cities are inspired by what came before . National parks , at their core are areas of land , often unique , beautiful or historically significant , that are protected and maintained by the federal government . They vary depending on where you live in the world today , but the seed of everything national parks would come to represent was planted with the establishment of the world's first national park in 1872 .
Speaker 1Yellowstone . The story of its creation begins , weirdly , not within modern-day Yellowstone's borders , but much further west . The 1948 gold rush saw miners surging west to strike it . Rich Land is parceled and sold to investors , a large amount of whom find their interest along the Sierra Nevada foothills in California . There they fell ancient sequoias , construct boom towns , generally disrupt the landscape . The notion then of preserving land , however beautiful , for preservation or recreation was not widely embraced , considered or understood . But luckily , widely doesn't mean everyone .
Speaker 1In response to the disruption along the Sierra Nevada mountain range , which inched every day closer to the Yosemite Valley , a small group of concerned Californians lobby for the valley's protection . Their efforts surprisingly , against all odds , pay off . In 1864 , congress grants the Yosemite Valley to the state of California , marking the first time the US government brought land under public protection . Seven years later , a geological expedition is led throughout the Yellowstone Valley , far away from Yosemite . Reports after this then spread of geysers , pristine valleys , wild rivers and hot springs , and this inspired yet another grassroots call for the land to be placed under protection , just like Yosemite . But here's the catch . Here's the catch when the Yosemite Valley was within the state of California , yellowstone existed in three territories all at once which were not yet states Modern , ohio , montana , wyoming . Consequently , protection of the land falls not to any one state but to the federal government . If the decision to protect the land passes which surprisingly , again it does , President Grant signs the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act on March 1st 1872 , which states the land quote hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement , occupancy or sale under the laws of the United States , and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefits and enjoyment of the people . End quote Yellowstone is , from then on , america's and the world's first national park .
Speaker 1Noodles and I have been to something like 16 national parks ,
Chattanooga's Environmental Transformation
Speaker 1something like that , and they never get old , they really don't . The hikes , the scenery , it resets you , it calms you More than anything , though . Well , in national parks , in my experience at least , there's a sense of camaraderie with people that are there that you cross Few and far between , as they might be , depending on which national park you're in . It's a kind of collective acknowledgement that this moment , this place , is worth admiring , it's worth exploring . It's a reverence that's kind of hard to describe . And that right there , I think , is what it's about .
Speaker 1National parks spring up throughout America and the world after the establishment of Yellowstone , but what's maybe more relevant than the parks themselves is the idea on which they were all founded , and that idea was and remains this gratuity as a communal space that must be protected , preserved and revered for both present and future generations . That's what it is . From then on , it's a label that is as symbolic as it is practical . We're back in the van , got a nice little five-mile hike in Now , later in the afternoon we're going to head to downtown Chattanooga and walk around , take pictures , record . But before we do that , let me ask this There've been movements to establish national parks elsewhere in America that haven't worked out , right from Iowa , where I'm from , to Texas and beyond , and mostly they've failed .
Speaker 1They become national monuments , state parks or something else entirely . So I think the legacy of the term national park isn't placed upon something lightly . It means something . The term itself has to be treated with a kind of sacredity . I don't know here's what I'm getting at With how much history and reverence a term like national park has how , why and how .
Speaker 1When could a city in eastern Tennessee claim the title of National Park City . We'll start with this . The term National Park City isn't given out or designated by any national park service , not here in America or anywhere else in the world . It , in fact , is in no way associated with the NPS . The designation National Park City is awarded by the London-based charity , the National Park City Foundation , and before you come to conclusions like I did , I'll admit . Here's why I think that should not matter . The Foundation vets any city that wishes to have the title National Park City through a lengthy application process that ensures any city with the title meets the requirements set by the Foundation . We'll get into specifics , but for now just know . We'll get into specifics , but for now just know . These requirements are molded after and inspired by national parks . It's essentially the long-term , large-scale vision of national parks , but in a city , a commitment to before and after the title is given Preservation , plentiful natural settings , guards against pollution , etc . London applied and met the requirements in 2019, . Adelaide , australia , in 2021 , and Chattanooga , tennessee , in 2025 .
Speaker 1We're walking downtown along the Tennessee River , which winds through the core of the city a bit , something that actually happens a lot . The outdoors are kind of part of the city . We're right by Coolidge Park , past a couple of green spaces on our way in Trees , everywhere . Like I said , it's beautiful . Here's the thing , though You'd never know it walking around today . But in the late 60s , early 70s , it wasn't great . The air quality , particularly , was truly , truly just horrid . Factories , railroads , all spewed totally unregulated emissions into the air . Residents often got sick , people had to have their headlights on during the middle of the day . It wasn't a great place to be , truly wasn't . But thankfully , in time , aggressive rules limiting emissions were passed and by the early 90s it got much , much better . And I can't help but wonder if this history inspires people in Chattanooga to never go back to how things were . And consequently , that inspired the people of Chattanooga to apply for the seemingly elusive title of a national park city in their new , cleaner town ,
How Cities Earn NPC Designation
Speaker 1in their new , cleaner town . Any city can be a national park city , but it's not easy for Chattanooga .
Speaker 1The journey to becoming a national park city started from the ground up . City residents , community leaders , businesses and eventually those in government positions all advocated for a national park city charter . All parties involved , from the bottom to the top , collectively held a mentality maybe best described by the city's mayor , tim Kelly , when he said by the city's mayor , tim Kelly , when he said , quote think about Chattanooga as a city in a park rather than a city with some parks in it end . Quote it was and is a mentality , and here , very rapidly , is how the process went down . After nearly 6,000 signatures are gathered , advocating for a movement to achieve the National Park City title in 2023 , two years go by and in those two years , the city follows a 10-step application process set by the foundation . This process includes registering your campaign to start off , detailing your city's history , drafting plans and proposals , documenting your current , past and future dedication towards sustainability and proving your city's easy access to nature . Then you submit your application and it's a waiting game In time . Representatives from the foundation in London come to tour the city . They make sure everything aligns with their selected criteria , criteria you need to meet to become a national park city . If they then deem it worthy , your city may accept an invitation to officially be recognized like Chattanooga , tennessee , in 2025 , as a National Park City .
Speaker 1We're sitting along the river now . Here was my question right away when I found out that National Park cities weren't connected with the National Park Service at all . How is this legitimate right Without any meaningful bureaucracy or funds to maintain what you'd expect from something called a national park ? Isn't it something just in name only ? Isn't it kind of hollow , fair question ? I thought and think . For a while I was kind of soured to the idea of just calling a national park city that , seeing it kind of like a marketing ploy or some vague generic brands , national park movement . But after spending time here , after spending time here walking around , hiking , talking with residents about the idea , I've since turned around and let me tell you why . Here's what I think now and what I believe now . If you designate something as special , it becomes special . If you say you're a runner , you're more likely to run . It becomes kind of a placebo For a community that's historically worked to meld nature and urban life .
Speaker 1Reaching to achieve the title National Park City can only be a good thing , particularly if the claim is properly vetted , if it's not just slapped onto the town's welcome sign or website . There's merit behind it . So , because there's merit behind the term , when you travel to a national park city , those in and out of the city are more likely to adhere and respect the historically significant term national park . That , more than anything , is the legitimate value of the title National Park
The Value Behind the Title
Speaker 1City , but that's just what I think . Maybe the most concrete and important thing the National Park City Foundation does after establishing a new National Park City is publish a regular National Park City's report , which might keep you on your toes as a National Park City , but the real value , in my view , is the vetting and gifting of the title National Park City , a title that once given , a title that once given , places the semi-sacred legacy associated with the term National Park upon its residents and those visiting From Yellowstone to Connemara , to London and now to Chattanooga . The words National Park carry with them a legacy , a history of preservation , beauty , reverence . To extend the term , along with its legacy , to a city is , in my view , a long time coming , if they deserve it .
Speaker 1Look , most people live in urban areas . There are the centers of countless choices and endless activity . Why should we not , at the very least , embrace the potential of changing our collective understanding of what and who a city is for ? Move towards cities within parks , not parks within cities . Leave our streets greener and cleaner than we found them ? London , england , adelaide , australia , and recently Breda in the Netherlands and Chattanooga , tennessee , as the world's first national park cities , pave the way for the question what if your city became a national park city ?
Speaker 1With that said , let's get to some listener
Listener Questions Answered
Speaker 1questions . How would you rank the national parks you've been to Certain allure , their strengths ? So a lot of it comes down to personal preference , what you enjoy doing . I'll always have a space in my heart for the Tetons Redwoods are fantastic Glacier those are three that come to the top of what I would say are my favorites , but they're all fantastic and if you live near one which you might not even know because there are a lot of unknown ones , go check it out . Honestly , they are such a special place and our public lands are to be treasured and visited respectfully , of course . But yeah , those would be my top three . Just listen to the Civil War series . Throwback there , awesome .
Speaker 1How much research would you recommend doing before visiting Gettysburg ? You know there's a ton of tours that walk you through things . I personally like just walking around you through things . I personally like just walking around . But in terms of research , I would look at a podcast or a brief documentary , but also look deep into a certain section of the battlefield that you can go and know extensively , because when you know the details of a certain point in that , like story location , of being there and and knowing everything that happened the people that were there , the events that happened is really , really magical and cool . So , yeah , just get a brief general overview . Um , I wouldn't say you have to do the tours , but you know , to each your own and , um , look up a specific spot is what I would say and , uh , go there . Have you ever thought about doing another podcast ? If so , what would it be about ? I did have another podcast for a while called the Beer Nomad , where I would go to breweries and interview owners and where you can kind of have fun . I'd love that . I don't know exactly what that would mean or be , but yeah , yeah , I'd really enjoy that .
Speaker 1What area of the country is the most van friendly ? What area of the country is the most van friendly ? Yeah , I mean it's got to be out west . The public land there is so much more readily available , easier to find spots . They're usually closer to towns . The East Coast is doable if you know what you're doing , but few and far between in terms of quality campsites that you can find without having to drive a long way , so far and away out west is what I would say to that . It's Noah here .
Speaker 1Hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Backroad Odyssey . I want to thank the city of Chattanooga for being such a fun place to explore . If you have an opportunity to go there , definitely check it out and see firsthand how great it is Some great hikes , great people , great spots . If you have any questions , concerns , get in touch with me at backroadodysseypod , at gmailcom or my Instagram at backroadodyssey . Appreciate every minute you spend with us If you find value in the show , in the stories , in the research that we're doing . Taking a minute now to rate or review genuinely , tangibly , helps the show and Noodles and I continue to put the work we'd like to into the show . So , with that said , be good to each other . Where to next Backroad Odyssey .
