About Newfound Gap (Tennessee-North Carolina Line)
Newfound Gap is where the road tops out and two states meet. At 5,046 feet, it is the lowest drivable pass through the main Smokies ridge, and it carries the only paved road that crosses the park.
What is here
A large parking lot straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina line. At the edge of the lot the Rockefeller Memorial, a stone terrace straddling the state line, marks the spot where President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the park on September 2, 1940. The memorial honors the gift of $5 million from the Rockefeller family that helped buy land for the park. The Appalachian Trail crosses the lot, and you can walk a few steps along it to look into the woods; the trail to Charlies Bunion and the Jump-Off leaves from here.
The view
The vantage looks north into Tennessee over a series of ridges, and south over the headwaters of the Oconaluftee River in North Carolina. In clear weather the line of ridges stretches for miles on both sides. Weather changes quickly at this elevation: it can be 15 degrees colder than Gatlinburg and fog may arrive without warning.
Visiting
- Parking: very busy on October weekends; arrive before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. A parking tag is required for stops over 15 minutes: $5 a day, $15 a week, $40 a year.
- Facilities: restrooms at the lot.
- Road status: Newfound Gap Road is open year-round, weather permitting, and fully reopened on September 12, 2025 after the August 2025 washout repair. It closed on October 9, 2026, for a high-wind warning, so check before you go.
- Kuwohi Road: the spur to the tower leaves nearby and is open until November 29.
Pair it with
Morton Overlook, two miles below on the Tennessee side, is the better sunset stop. On the North Carolina side, the Oconaluftee Valley Overlook and Mountain Farm Museum are on the way down to Cherokee. Plan about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg to the gap without stops.
Good to know
- Do I need a parking tag?
- A Park It Forward parking tag ($5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year) is required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Entry is free, and federal passes such as America the Beautiful do not replace the tag.