Stay and Play in the Smokies
Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap

Categories: Museums & Historic Sites, Appalachian Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park... NC, Great Smoky Mountains National Park... TN
Coordinates
35.611210, -83.424880
 
Access
Easy via U.S. Hwy-441 
 
Hike Distance
Appalachian Trail Hikes from Newfound Gap:
The Jump Off, 6.5 miles (roundtrip)
Charlies Bunion, 8.1 miles (roundtrip) 
 
Nearest City
Gatlinburg, TN
County
Swain County
 
State
North Carolina/Tennessee Border
 
Distance From
Cherokee, 19 miles

Highlights

  •  Great "pit-stop" for halfway between Gatlinburg, TN & Cherokee, NC
  •  Elevation of 5,046 ft. making it the highest "Gap" east of the Rockies 
  •  Tennessee/N.C. state line 
  •  Multiple hikes nearby including the Appalachian Trail, Clingman's Dome, Chimney Tops Trail & Andrews Bald
  •  Large parking area w/RV & Motorcycle designated areas 
  •  Historic Plaque on rock wall 
  •  Excellent views into both Tennessee and North Carolina
  •  Bathrooms w/flush toilets 

The Local Scoop

Being one of the most popular overlooks and stops along U.S. Hwy-441 through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Newfound Gap offers a nice place to stretch your legs after riding a while. Here you will also have outstanding views into North Carolina, as well as Tennessee. The parking lot sits on the border of both states and you'll see a sign designated for just that purpose which makes the stop even more fun and interesting.  We recommend taking a picture of the kids around the nice sized sign in the parking area.       The parking area is large but is usually very busy, especially in the high season. You'll find restrooms, RV & motorcylce parking, trailheads, info kiosks and more while here. We recommend stopping here especially if you have children that need a break. You are pretty much half-way between Gatlinburg (closest town in Tennessee) and Cherokee (closest town in N.C.).
We also recommend taking in some of the nearby hikes and POIs including Clingman's Dome. You can find the access road (Clingmans Dome Road, closed in Winter) to this hike/drive approx. 0.1 mile from Newfound Gap. You'll need to go towards Cherokee, NC and in a few seconds you'll see signs and the road on your right. Clingman's Dome Road is 7 miles long and takes you to a large parking area for the Clingmans Dome Trailhead. More popular hikes are in the area of Newfound Gap as well and include: Andrews Bald Trail, Charlies Bunion, Boulevard Trail, Chimney Tops Trail and more. 

Local Directions

From Cherokee, NC
From Cherokee, NC take U.S. Hwy-441 North into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Continue for 20 miles on this curvy two lane highway to Newfound Gap on your Right.

From Gatlinburg, TN
From Gatlinburg, TN take TN Hwy-71/U.S. Hwy-441 South towards Cherokee, NC for 14.7 miles directly into downtown Gatlinburg.