July 10, 2025 • 23 mins
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/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
What if your city became a national park city?
This was a question asked byLondon, england, adelaide,
australia and, most recently,chattanooga, tennessee.
What is a national park city?
We ask ourselves thesequestions as we camp the various
slopes, parks and rivers ofAmerica's first national park
(00:27):
city at the foothills of theSmokies.
Safe travels, please care toshare what you think.
Oh, noodles, what do you see?
(00:49):
Backroad Odyssey, welcome toVan Life Diaries.
I'm your host, noah, joined asalways 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 tohave you.
For about a week Chattanooga washome base for Noodles and I.
(01:10):
We hiked its trails, walked itsparks and generally took in the
sights of America's firstnational park city.
And we had two primaryquestions well there.
One, what is a national parkcity?
And two, does this title carryany weight at all?
(01:30):
Right, when you don the titleof a national park city, what
expectations, obligations orrequirements do you have to meet
?
We'll answer all of this andmore.
We'll also answer listenerquestions at the end of the
episode.
But for now, join Noodles and Imid-hike about a mile past
(01:51):
Rainbow Lake Trailhead west ofthe city.
We've been in Chattanooga for acouple days now, on our way to a
creek to hang out to work for alittle bit.
I've passed through the city afew times to stop in the past
for whiskey, honestly, but thisis my first time spending any
(02:11):
meaningful time exploring Firstthoughts a lot of nice people, a
lot of parks, crazy amounts oftrees.
Particularly downtown it's likeevery available space is filled
up up.
Good hikes in and out of thecity, I think.
I think there's over 100 parksin the city, 40 something miles
(02:33):
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 nationalpark city for what it's worth.
But before we delve intoexactly what that means, I think
it's important to understand atits core what a national park
(02:57):
is, a bit of the history legacyand, most importantly, what the
idea, the image of a nationalpark Yellowstone, glacier,
yosemite means to people.
Because national park citiesare inspired by what came before
(03:18):
.
National parks, at their coreare areas of land, often unique,
beautiful or historicallysignificant, that are protected
(03:40):
and maintained by the federalgovernment.
They vary depending on whereyou live in the world today, but
the seed of everything nationalparks would come to represent
was planted with theestablishment of the world's
first national park in 1872.
Yellowstone.
The story of its creationbegins, weirdly, not within
(04:05):
modern-day Yellowstone's borders, but much further west.
The 1948 gold rush saw minerssurging west to strike it.
Rich Land is parceled and soldto investors, a large amount of
whom find their interest alongthe Sierra Nevada foothills in
(04:29):
California.
There they fell ancientsequoias, construct boom towns,
generally disrupt the landscape.
The notion then of preservingland, however beautiful, for
preservation or recreation wasnot widely embraced, considered
or understood.
(04:50):
But luckily, widely doesn'tmean everyone.
In response to the disruptionalong the Sierra Nevada mountain
range, which inched every daycloser to the Yosemite Valley, a
small group of concernedCalifornians lobby for the
valley's protection.
(05:11):
Their efforts surprisingly,against all odds, pay off.
In 1864, congress grants theYosemite Valley to the state of
California, marking the firsttime the US government brought
land under public protection.
Seven years later, a geologicalexpedition is led throughout
(05:35):
the Yellowstone Valley, far awayfrom Yosemite.
Reports after this then spreadof geysers, pristine valleys,
wild rivers and hot springs, andthis inspired yet another
grassroots call for the land tobe placed under protection, just
like Yosemite.
But here's the catch.
(05:56):
Here's the catch when theYosemite Valley was within the
state of California, yellowstoneexisted in three territories
all at once which were not yetstates Modern, ohio, montana,
wyoming.
Consequently, protection of theland falls not to any one state
but to the federal government.
(06:17):
If the decision to protect theland passes which surprisingly,
again it does, President Grantsigns the Yellowstone National
Park Protection Act on March 1st1872, which states the land
quote hereby reserved andwithdrawn from settlement,
(06:39):
occupancy or sale under the lawsof the United States, and
dedicated and set apart as apublic park or pleasuring ground
for the benefits and enjoymentof the people.
End quote Yellowstone is, fromthen on, america's and the
(07:00):
world's first national park.
Noodles and I have been tosomething like 16 national parks
, something like that, and theynever get old, they really don't
.
The hikes, the scenery, itresets you, it calms you More
than anything, though.
(07:21):
Well, in national parks, in myexperience at least, there's a
sense of camaraderie with peoplethat are there that you cross
Few and far between, as theymight be, depending on which
national park you're in.
It's a kind of collectiveacknowledgement that this moment
, this place, is worth admiring,it's worth exploring.
(07:43):
It's a reverence that's kind ofhard to describe.
And that right there, I think,is what it's about.
National parks spring upthroughout America and the world
after the establishment ofYellowstone, but what's maybe
more relevant than the parksthemselves is the idea on which
(08:08):
they were all founded, and thatidea was and remains this
gratuity as a communal spacethat must be protected,
preserved and revered for bothpresent and future generations.
(08:30):
That's what it is.
From then on, it's a label thatis as symbolic as it is
practical.
We're back in the van, got anice little five-mile hike in
Now, later in the afternoonwe're going to head to downtown
Chattanooga and walk around,take pictures, record.
(08:50):
But before we do that, let meask this There've been movements
to establish national parkselsewhere in America that
haven't worked out, right fromIowa, where I'm from, to Texas
and beyond, and mostly they'vefailed.
They become national monuments,state parks or something else
(09:13):
entirely.
So I think the legacy of theterm national park isn't placed
upon something lightly.
It means something.
The term itself has to betreated with a kind of sacredity
.
I don't know here's what I'mgetting at With how much history
(09:35):
and reverence a term likenational park has how, why and
how.
When could a city in easternTennessee claim the title of
National Park City.
We'll start with this.
The term National Park Cityisn't given out or designated by
(09:56):
any national park service, nothere in America or anywhere else
in the world.
It, in fact, is in no wayassociated with the NPS.
The designation National ParkCity is awarded by the
London-based charity, theNational Park City Foundation,
(10:17):
and before you come toconclusions like I did, I'll
admit.
Here's why I think that shouldnot matter.
The Foundation vets any citythat wishes to have the title
National Park City through alengthy application process that
ensures any city with the titlemeets the requirements set by
(10:39):
the Foundation.
We'll get into specifics, butfor now just know.
We'll get into specifics, butfor now just know.
These requirements are moldedafter and inspired by national
parks.
It's essentially the long-term,large-scale vision of national
parks, but in a city, acommitment to before and after
(11:02):
the title is given Preservation,plentiful natural settings,
guards against pollution, etc.
London applied and met therequirements in 2019,.
Adelaide, australia, in 2021,and Chattanooga, tennessee, in
2025.
We're walking downtown along theTennessee River, which winds
(11:27):
through the core of the city abit, something that actually
happens a lot.
The outdoors are kind of partof 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'dnever know it walking around
(11:47):
today.
But in the late 60s, early 70s,it wasn't great.
The air quality, particularly,was truly, truly just horrid.
Factories, railroads, allspewed totally unregulated
emissions into the air.
Residents often got sick,people had to have their
(12:08):
headlights on during the middleof 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 theearly 90s it got much, much
better.
And I can't help but wonder ifthis history inspires people in
Chattanooga to never go back tohow things were.
(12:31):
And consequently, that inspiredthe people of Chattanooga to
apply for the seemingly elusivetitle of a national park city in
their new, cleaner town, intheir new, cleaner town.
Any city can be a national parkcity, but it's not easy for
(12:53):
Chattanooga.
The journey to becoming anational park city started from
the ground up.
City residents, communityleaders, businesses and
eventually those in governmentpositions all advocated for a
national park city charter.
All parties involved, from thebottom to the top, collectively
held a mentality maybe bestdescribed by the city's mayor,
(13:15):
tim Kelly, when he said by thecity's mayor, tim Kelly, when he
said, quote think aboutChattanooga as a city in a park
rather than a city with someparks in it end.
Quote it was and is a mentality, and here, very rapidly, is how
the process went down.
(13:35):
After nearly 6,000 signaturesare gathered, advocating for a
movement to achieve the NationalPark City title in 2023, two
years go by and in those twoyears, the city follows a
10-step application process setby the foundation.
This process includesregistering your campaign to
(13:57):
start off, detailing your city'shistory, drafting plans and
proposals, documenting yourcurrent, past and future
dedication towardssustainability and proving your
city's easy access to nature.
Then you submit yourapplication and it's a waiting
game In time.
(14:18):
Representatives from thefoundation in London come to
tour the city.
They make sure everythingaligns with their selected
criteria, criteria you need tomeet to become a national park
city.
If they then deem it worthy,your city may accept an
(14:39):
invitation to officially berecognized like Chattanooga,
tennessee, in 2025, as aNational Park City.
We're sitting along the rivernow.
Here was my question right awaywhen I found out that National
Park cities weren't connectedwith the National Park Service
(15:03):
at all.
How is this legitimate rightWithout any meaningful
bureaucracy or funds to maintainwhat you'd expect from
something called a national park?
Isn't it something just in nameonly?
Isn't it kind of hollow, fairquestion?
(15:25):
I thought and think.
For a while I was kind ofsoured to the idea of just
calling a national park citythat, seeing it kind of like a
marketing ploy or some vaguegeneric brands, national park
movement.
But after spending time here,after spending time here walking
(15:48):
around, hiking, talking withresidents about the idea, I've
since turned around and let metell you why.
Here's what I think now andwhat I believe now.
If you designate something asspecial, it becomes special.
If you say you're a runner,you're more likely to run.
(16:11):
It becomes kind of a placeboFor a community that's
historically worked to meldnature and urban life.
Reaching to achieve the titleNational Park City can only be a
good thing, particularly if theclaim is properly vetted, if
(16:31):
it's not just slapped onto thetown's welcome sign or website.
There's merit behind it.
So, because there's meritbehind the term, when you travel
to a national park city, thosein and out of the city are more
likely to adhere and respect thehistorically significant term
(16:53):
national park.
That, more than anything, isthe legitimate value of the
title National Park City, butthat's just what I think.
Maybe the most concrete andimportant thing the National
Park City Foundation does afterestablishing a new National Park
(17:17):
City is publish a regularNational Park City's report,
which might keep you on yourtoes as a National Park City,
but the real value, in my view,is the vetting and gifting of
the title National Park City, atitle that once given, a title
(17:49):
that once given, places thesemi-sacred legacy associated
with the term National Park uponits residents and those
visiting From Yellowstone toConnemara, to London and now to
Chattanooga.
The words National Park carrywith them a legacy, a history of
preservation, beauty, reverence.
To extend the term, along withits legacy, to a city is, in my
(18:16):
view, a long time coming, ifthey deserve it.
Look, most people live in urbanareas.
There are the centers ofcountless choices and endless
activity.
Why should we not, at the veryleast, embrace the potential of
changing our collectiveunderstanding of what and who a
(18:36):
city is for?
Move towards cities withinparks, not parks within cities.
Leave our streets greener andcleaner 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, pavethe way for the question what
(19:00):
if your city became a nationalpark city?
(19:24):
With that said, let's get tosome listener questions.
How would you rank the nationalparks you've been to Certain
allure, their strengths?
So a lot of it comes down topersonal preference, what you
enjoy doing.
I'll always have a space in myheart for the Tetons Redwoods
(19:46):
are fantastic Glacier those arethree that come to the top of
what I would say are myfavorites, but they're all
fantastic and if you live nearone which you might not even
know because there are a lot ofunknown ones, go check it out.
Honestly, they are such aspecial place and our public
(20:07):
lands are to be treasured andvisited respectfully, of course.
But yeah, those would be my topthree.
Just listen to the Civil Warseries.
Throwback there, awesome.
How much research would yourecommend doing before visiting
Gettysburg?
You know there's a ton of toursthat walk you through things.
(20:35):
I personally like just walkingaround you through things.
I personally like just walkingaround.
But in terms of research, Iwould look at a podcast or a
brief documentary, but also lookdeep into a certain section of
the battlefield that you can goand know extensively, because
when you know the details of acertain point in that, like
(20:59):
story location, of being thereand and knowing everything that
happened the people that werethere, the events that happened
is really, really magical andcool.
So, yeah, just get a briefgeneral overview.
Um, I wouldn't say you have todo the tours, but you know, to
(21:19):
each your own and, um, look up aspecific spot is what I would
say and, uh, go there.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing another podcast?
If so, what would it be about?
I did have another podcast fora while called the Beer Nomad,
where I would go to breweriesand interview owners and where
(21:42):
you can kind of have fun.
I'd love that.
I don't know exactly what thatwould mean or be, but yeah, yeah
(22:11):
, I'd really enjoy that.
What area of the country is themost van friendly?
What area of the country is themost van friendly?
Yeah, I mean it's got to be outwest.
The public land there is somuch more readily available,
easier to find spots.
They're usually closer to towns.
The East Coast is doable if youknow what you're doing, but few
(22:38):
and far between in terms ofquality campsites that you can
find without having to drive along way, so far and away out
west is what I would say to that.
It's Noah here.
Hope you enjoyed this week'sepisode of Backroad Odyssey.
I want to thank the city ofChattanooga for being such a fun
(22:59):
place to explore.
If you have an opportunity togo there, definitely check it
out and see firsthand how greatit is Some great hikes, great
people, great spots.
If you have any questions,concerns, get in touch with me
at backroadodysseypod, atgmailcom or my Instagram at
backroadodyssey.
(23:20):
Appreciate every minute youspend with us If you find value
in the show, in the stories, inthe research that we're doing.
Taking a minute now to rate orreview genuinely, tangibly,
helps the show and Noodles and Icontinue to put the work we'd
like to into the show.
So, with that said, be good toeach other.
(23:42):
Where to next Backroad Odyssey.
What if your city became a national park city?
This was a question asked byLondon, england, adelaide,
australia and, most recently,chattanooga, tennessee.
What is a national park city?
We ask ourselves thesequestions as we camp the various
slopes, parks and rivers ofAmerica's first national park
(00:27):
city at the foothills of theSmokies.
Safe travels, please care toshare what you think.
Oh, noodles, what do you see?
(00:49):
Backroad Odyssey, welcome toVan Life Diaries.
I'm your host, noah, joined asalways 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 tohave you.
For about a week Chattanooga washome base for Noodles and I.
(01:10):
We hiked its trails, walked itsparks and generally took in the
sights of America's firstnational park city.
And we had two primaryquestions well there.
One, what is a national parkcity?
And two, does this title carryany weight at all?
(01:30):
Right, when you don the titleof a national park city, what
expectations, obligations orrequirements do you have to meet
?
We'll answer all of this andmore.
We'll also answer listenerquestions at the end of the
episode.
But for now, join Noodles and Imid-hike about a mile past
(01:51):
Rainbow Lake Trailhead west ofthe city.
We've been in Chattanooga for acouple days now, on our way to a
creek to hang out to work for alittle bit.
I've passed through the city afew times to stop in the past
for whiskey, honestly, but thisis my first time spending any
(02:11):
meaningful time exploring Firstthoughts a lot of nice people, a
lot of parks, crazy amounts oftrees.
Particularly downtown it's likeevery available space is filled
up up.
Good hikes in and out of thecity, I think.
I think there's over 100 parksin the city, 40 something miles
(02:33):
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 nationalpark city for what it's worth.
But before we delve intoexactly what that means, I think
it's important to understand atits core what a national park
(02:57):
is, a bit of the history legacyand, most importantly, what the
idea, the image of a nationalpark Yellowstone, glacier,
yosemite means to people.
Because national park citiesare inspired by what came before
(03:18):
.
National parks, at their coreare areas of land, often unique,
beautiful or historicallysignificant, that are protected
(03:40):
and maintained by the federalgovernment.
They vary depending on whereyou live in the world today, but
the seed of everything nationalparks would come to represent
was planted with theestablishment of the world's
first national park in 1872.
Yellowstone.
The story of its creationbegins, weirdly, not within
(04:05):
modern-day Yellowstone's borders, but much further west.
The 1948 gold rush saw minerssurging west to strike it.
Rich Land is parceled and soldto investors, a large amount of
whom find their interest alongthe Sierra Nevada foothills in
(04:29):
California.
There they fell ancientsequoias, construct boom towns,
generally disrupt the landscape.
The notion then of preservingland, however beautiful, for
preservation or recreation wasnot widely embraced, considered
or understood.
(04:50):
But luckily, widely doesn'tmean everyone.
In response to the disruptionalong the Sierra Nevada mountain
range, which inched every daycloser to the Yosemite Valley, a
small group of concernedCalifornians lobby for the
valley's protection.
(05:11):
Their efforts surprisingly,against all odds, pay off.
In 1864, congress grants theYosemite Valley to the state of
California, marking the firsttime the US government brought
land under public protection.
Seven years later, a geologicalexpedition is led throughout
(05:35):
the Yellowstone Valley, far awayfrom Yosemite.
Reports after this then spreadof geysers, pristine valleys,
wild rivers and hot springs, andthis inspired yet another
grassroots call for the land tobe placed under protection, just
like Yosemite.
But here's the catch.
(05:56):
Here's the catch when theYosemite Valley was within the
state of California, yellowstoneexisted in three territories
all at once which were not yetstates Modern, ohio, montana,
wyoming.
Consequently, protection of theland falls not to any one state
but to the federal government.
(06:17):
If the decision to protect theland passes which surprisingly,
again it does, President Grantsigns the Yellowstone National
Park Protection Act on March 1st1872, which states the land
quote hereby reserved andwithdrawn from settlement,
(06:39):
occupancy or sale under the lawsof the United States, and
dedicated and set apart as apublic park or pleasuring ground
for the benefits and enjoymentof the people.
End quote Yellowstone is, fromthen on, america's and the
(07:00):
world's first national park.
Noodles and I have been tosomething like 16 national parks
, something like that, and theynever get old, they really don't
.
The hikes, the scenery, itresets you, it calms you More
than anything, though.
(07:21):
Well, in national parks, in myexperience at least, there's a
sense of camaraderie with peoplethat are there that you cross
Few and far between, as theymight be, depending on which
national park you're in.
It's a kind of collectiveacknowledgement that this moment
, this place, is worth admiring,it's worth exploring.
(07:43):
It's a reverence that's kind ofhard to describe.
And that right there, I think,is what it's about.
National parks spring upthroughout America and the world
after the establishment ofYellowstone, but what's maybe
more relevant than the parksthemselves is the idea on which
(08:08):
they were all founded, and thatidea was and remains this
gratuity as a communal spacethat must be protected,
preserved and revered for bothpresent and future generations.
(08:30):
That's what it is.
From then on, it's a label thatis as symbolic as it is
practical.
We're back in the van, got anice little five-mile hike in
Now, later in the afternoonwe're going to head to downtown
Chattanooga and walk around,take pictures, record.
(08:50):
But before we do that, let meask this There've been movements
to establish national parkselsewhere in America that
haven't worked out, right fromIowa, where I'm from, to Texas
and beyond, and mostly they'vefailed.
They become national monuments,state parks or something else
(09:13):
entirely.
So I think the legacy of theterm national park isn't placed
upon something lightly.
It means something.
The term itself has to betreated with a kind of sacredity
.
I don't know here's what I'mgetting at With how much history
(09:35):
and reverence a term likenational park has how, why and
how.
When could a city in easternTennessee claim the title of
National Park City.
We'll start with this.
The term National Park Cityisn't given out or designated by
(09:56):
any national park service, nothere in America or anywhere else
in the world.
It, in fact, is in no wayassociated with the NPS.
The designation National ParkCity is awarded by the
London-based charity, theNational Park City Foundation,
(10:17):
and before you come toconclusions like I did, I'll
admit.
Here's why I think that shouldnot matter.
The Foundation vets any citythat wishes to have the title
National Park City through alengthy application process that
ensures any city with the titlemeets the requirements set by
(10:39):
the Foundation.
We'll get into specifics, butfor now just know.
We'll get into specifics, butfor now just know.
These requirements are moldedafter and inspired by national
parks.
It's essentially the long-term,large-scale vision of national
parks, but in a city, acommitment to before and after
(11:02):
the title is given Preservation,plentiful natural settings,
guards against pollution, etc.
London applied and met therequirements in 2019,.
Adelaide, australia, in 2021,and Chattanooga, tennessee, in
2025.
We're walking downtown along theTennessee River, which winds
(11:27):
through the core of the city abit, something that actually
happens a lot.
The outdoors are kind of partof 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'dnever know it walking around
(11:47):
today.
But in the late 60s, early 70s,it wasn't great.
The air quality, particularly,was truly, truly just horrid.
Factories, railroads, allspewed totally unregulated
emissions into the air.
Residents often got sick,people had to have their
(12:08):
headlights on during the middleof 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 theearly 90s it got much, much
better.
And I can't help but wonder ifthis history inspires people in
Chattanooga to never go back tohow things were.
(12:31):
And consequently, that inspiredthe people of Chattanooga to
apply for the seemingly elusivetitle of a national park city in
their new, cleaner town, intheir new, cleaner town.
Any city can be a national parkcity, but it's not easy for
(12:53):
Chattanooga.
The journey to becoming anational park city started from
the ground up.
City residents, communityleaders, businesses and
eventually those in governmentpositions all advocated for a
national park city charter.
All parties involved, from thebottom to the top, collectively
held a mentality maybe bestdescribed by the city's mayor,
(13:15):
tim Kelly, when he said by thecity's mayor, tim Kelly, when he
said, quote think aboutChattanooga as a city in a park
rather than a city with someparks in it end.
Quote it was and is a mentality, and here, very rapidly, is how
the process went down.
(13:35):
After nearly 6,000 signaturesare gathered, advocating for a
movement to achieve the NationalPark City title in 2023, two
years go by and in those twoyears, the city follows a
10-step application process setby the foundation.
This process includesregistering your campaign to
(13:57):
start off, detailing your city'shistory, drafting plans and
proposals, documenting yourcurrent, past and future
dedication towardssustainability and proving your
city's easy access to nature.
Then you submit yourapplication and it's a waiting
game In time.
(14:18):
Representatives from thefoundation in London come to
tour the city.
They make sure everythingaligns with their selected
criteria, criteria you need tomeet to become a national park
city.
If they then deem it worthy,your city may accept an
(14:39):
invitation to officially berecognized like Chattanooga,
tennessee, in 2025, as aNational Park City.
We're sitting along the rivernow.
Here was my question right awaywhen I found out that National
Park cities weren't connectedwith the National Park Service
(15:03):
at all.
How is this legitimate rightWithout any meaningful
bureaucracy or funds to maintainwhat you'd expect from
something called a national park?
Isn't it something just in nameonly?
Isn't it kind of hollow, fairquestion?
(15:25):
I thought and think.
For a while I was kind ofsoured to the idea of just
calling a national park citythat, seeing it kind of like a
marketing ploy or some vaguegeneric brands, national park
movement.
But after spending time here,after spending time here walking
(15:48):
around, hiking, talking withresidents about the idea, I've
since turned around and let metell you why.
Here's what I think now andwhat I believe now.
If you designate something asspecial, it becomes special.
If you say you're a runner,you're more likely to run.
(16:11):
It becomes kind of a placeboFor a community that's
historically worked to meldnature and urban life.
Reaching to achieve the titleNational Park City can only be a
good thing, particularly if theclaim is properly vetted, if
(16:31):
it's not just slapped onto thetown's welcome sign or website.
There's merit behind it.
So, because there's meritbehind the term, when you travel
to a national park city, thosein and out of the city are more
likely to adhere and respect thehistorically significant term
(16:53):
national park.
That, more than anything, isthe legitimate value of the
title National Park City, butthat's just what I think.
Maybe the most concrete andimportant thing the National
Park City Foundation does afterestablishing a new National Park
(17:17):
City is publish a regularNational Park City's report,
which might keep you on yourtoes as a National Park City,
but the real value, in my view,is the vetting and gifting of
the title National Park City, atitle that once given, a title
(17:49):
that once given, places thesemi-sacred legacy associated
with the term National Park uponits residents and those
visiting From Yellowstone toConnemara, to London and now to
Chattanooga.
The words National Park carrywith them a legacy, a history of
preservation, beauty, reverence.
To extend the term, along withits legacy, to a city is, in my
(18:16):
view, a long time coming, ifthey deserve it.
Look, most people live in urbanareas.
There are the centers ofcountless choices and endless
activity.
Why should we not, at the veryleast, embrace the potential of
changing our collectiveunderstanding of what and who a
(18:36):
city is for?
Move towards cities withinparks, not parks within cities.
Leave our streets greener andcleaner 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, pavethe way for the question what
(19:00):
if your city became a nationalpark city?
(19:24):
With that said, let's get tosome listener questions.
How would you rank the nationalparks you've been to Certain
allure, their strengths?
So a lot of it comes down topersonal preference, what you
enjoy doing.
I'll always have a space in myheart for the Tetons Redwoods
(19:46):
are fantastic Glacier those arethree that come to the top of
what I would say are myfavorites, but they're all
fantastic and if you live nearone which you might not even
know because there are a lot ofunknown ones, go check it out.
Honestly, they are such aspecial place and our public
(20:07):
lands are to be treasured andvisited respectfully, of course.
But yeah, those would be my topthree.
Just listen to the Civil Warseries.
Throwback there, awesome.
How much research would yourecommend doing before visiting
Gettysburg?
You know there's a ton of toursthat walk you through things.
(20:35):
I personally like just walkingaround you through things.
I personally like just walkingaround.
But in terms of research, Iwould look at a podcast or a
brief documentary, but also lookdeep into a certain section of
the battlefield that you can goand know extensively, because
when you know the details of acertain point in that, like
(20:59):
story location, of being thereand and knowing everything that
happened the people that werethere, the events that happened
is really, really magical andcool.
So, yeah, just get a briefgeneral overview.
Um, I wouldn't say you have todo the tours, but you know, to
(21:19):
each your own and, um, look up aspecific spot is what I would
say and, uh, go there.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing another podcast?
If so, what would it be about?
I did have another podcast fora while called the Beer Nomad,
where I would go to breweriesand interview owners and where
(21:42):
you can kind of have fun.
I'd love that.
I don't know exactly what thatwould mean or be, but yeah, yeah
(22:11):
, I'd really enjoy that.
What area of the country is themost van friendly?
What area of the country is themost van friendly?
Yeah, I mean it's got to be outwest.
The public land there is somuch more readily available,
easier to find spots.
They're usually closer to towns.
The East Coast is doable if youknow what you're doing, but few
(22:38):
and far between in terms ofquality campsites that you can
find without having to drive along way, so far and away out
west is what I would say to that.
It's Noah here.
Hope you enjoyed this week'sepisode of Backroad Odyssey.
I want to thank the city ofChattanooga for being such a fun
(22:59):
place to explore.
If you have an opportunity togo there, definitely check it
out and see firsthand how greatit is Some great hikes, great
people, great spots.
If you have any questions,concerns, get in touch with me
at backroadodysseypod, atgmailcom or my Instagram at
backroadodyssey.
(23:20):
Appreciate every minute youspend with us If you find value
in the show, in the stories, inthe research that we're doing.
Taking a minute now to rate orreview genuinely, tangibly,
helps the show and Noodles and Icontinue to put the work we'd
like to into the show.
So, with that said, be good toeach other.
(23:42):
Where to next Backroad Odyssey.
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