Newfound Gap
The highest point on Route 441, which crosses the park, at 1,538 meters. It marks the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, and this is where Roosevelt declared the national park open.
Newfound Gap is in the middle of the Newfound Gap Road. It is the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the park open at the Rockefeller Memorial. The observation platform overlooks the layered blue ridges on the North Carolina side. The Appalachian Trail crosses the parking lot, and you can hike east from there to Charlies Bunion. The drive from Gatlinburg takes about 30 minutes, and the road to Kuwohi branches off here. If you park in the area for more than 15 minutes, you must buy a parking permit (about USD 5 per day).
Opening hours
Open all day (road closed in severe weather)
Nearby sights
- Alum Cave Trail
- Mount Le Conte
- Chimney Tops
- Charlies Bunion
- Grotto Falls
- Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome)
- Andrews Bald
- Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail