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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

Cook: The best outdoor city deserves the best public policy

A climber prepares to descend the cliff at Lookout Mountain's Sunset Rock.
A climber prepares to descend the cliff at Lookout Mountain's Sunset Rock.

Only four days remain to vote for Chattanooga as America’s Best Outdoor City. It’s down to us and Port Angeles, a city of 19,000 on the Washington coast near Olympic National Park. We have catfish. They have orca whales.

“Please vote now,” emailed an excited Bob Doak, head of the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

photo David Cook

“I voted on three different devices,” county Mayor Jim Coppinger said last week.

The contest started with 64 cities. The folks at Outside magazine had a good set of criteria.

“We looked for places with great access to trails and public lands, thriving restaurants and neighborhoods, and, of course, a good beer scene,” editors wrote.