Backroad Odyssey : Travel, Van Life & Lost Locations
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, Van Life & Lost Locations
Van Life Diaries - America's First National Park City
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.
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What 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 1:For 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 1:We'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 people. 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 1:Yellowstone. 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 1:In 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 1:Noodles and I have been to something like 16 national parks, something 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 1:National 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 1:They 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 1:When 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 1:We'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, in their new, cleaner town. Any city can be a national park city, but it's not easy for Chattanooga.
Speaker 1:The 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 1:We'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 1:Reaching 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 City, 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 1:Look, 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 1:With that said, let's get to some listener questions. 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 1:How 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 1:What 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 1:Hope 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.
