Newfound Gap - GSMNP, TN
Posted by: vhasler
N 35° 36.642 W 083° 25.521
17S E 280318 N 3943479
Newfound Gap is where the highway crosses the state line, while the Appalachian Trail crosses the highway.
Waymark Code: WMFTNN
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 11/29/2012
Views: 22
From the guidebook, we read:
"NEWFOUND GAP (5,045 alt), where State 35-71 crosses the State Line 81 m. west of Asheville, N. C. The Appalachian Trail crosses the highway here."
--- Tennessee: A Guide to the State, 1939
Now Highway TN71 or US-441. There is a large parking lot here to enjoy the view and stand the border sign. (With only 1 foot difference in the elevation.) Lots of crowds during peak summer days.
For reference, the name "Newfound Gap" comes from when the highway engineers were trying to lay out a highway through the mountains. The route was already decided when the survey team discovered a newly found gap for an improved path.