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.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chattanooga-just-became-north-americas-first-national-park-city-heres-what-that-means-180986465/

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

https://www.forbes.com/sites/micheleherrmann/2025/04/29/chattanooga-is-now-north-americas-first-national-park-city/

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/