Newfound Gap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Newfound Gap |
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Rockefeller Memorial at Newfound Gap
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| Elevation | 5,048 ft (1,539 m) |
| Traversed by | Newfound Gap Road Appalachian Trail |
| Location | North Carolina Tennessee United States |
| Range | Great Smoky Mountains |
| Coordinates | 35°36′40″N 83°25′30″W / 35.6112063°N 83.4248814°W |
| Topo map | USGS Clingmans Dome |
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| Route information | |
| Maintained by NPS | |
| Length | 31.6 mi (50.9 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  US 441 in Cherokee |
| North end | US 441 in Gatlinburg |
| Location | |
| States: | North Carolina, Tennessee |
| Counties: | Swain, NC; Sevier, TN |
| Highway system | |
| Tennessee State Routes Interstate • USNorth Carolina Highway System |
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Newfound Gap is a mountain pass located in the middle of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This park is found in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States. The gap sits right on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina.
Newfound Gap Road, which is also U.S. Route 441, crosses through the park and over the gap. This road connects Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina. The famous Appalachian Trail, a long hiking path, also goes through Newfound Gap. You can find a few other hiking trails here too.
Newfound Gap is also home to the Rockefeller Memorial. This is a popular spot in the national park. On September 2, 1940, former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially opened the park from this very spot.
The National Weather Service says Newfound Gap gets about 19 snowy days each year. From 1991 to 2005, the amount of snow each year varied a lot. It ranged from 43.5 inches (110 cm) to 106 inches (270 cm).
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History of Newfound Gap
Before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created, Newfound Gap was not well known. People thought Indian Gap was the lowest mountain pass in the area. Indian Gap was about two miles east of Newfound Gap.
Indian Gap Road
Indian Gap Road was a tough, unpaved trail. It was finished in 1839. Traders, farmers, and even the Confederate States Army used it during the American Civil War. The road was named after an old Cherokee Indian trail it followed.
Discovering Newfound Gap
Newfound Gap was not found to be the lowest pass until 1872. That's when Arnold Henry Guyot measured many mountains in the area. He found that "Newfound Gap" was a lower and easier mountain pass to cross.
Newfound Gap Road Today
When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was being built, a new, modern highway was needed. This highway would connect Tennessee to North Carolina. It was finished in 1932 and crossed Newfound Gap. This new road replaced the old Indian Gap Road.
Road Connections
North of the park, this road is now called Great Smoky Mountains Parkway. There's also the Gatlinburg Bypass. This bypass connects Newfound Gap Road south of Gatlinburg to the parkway north of town. It was originally planned to be part of the Foothills Parkway.
Winter Travel on the Road
Even though it gets a lot of snow in winter, Newfound Gap Road stays open all year. It only closes during and right after big winter storms. If the road is closed, drivers have to take a long detour. This detour goes around the east-northeast end of the park. It uses U.S. 321 and Interstate 40.
The Tennessee side of the road usually gets more snow. This is because it faces north and northwest. Even when roads in the valleys are clear, Newfound Gap can have much deeper snow. It might stay closed for several hours after a big snowfall.
Since the road is in a national park, only snowplows and a mix of gravel and sand are used to clear it. No chemicals can be used for snow removal. This is because chemicals can harm the environment of the park.
The road was closed for many days after the Great Blizzard of 1993. During that storm, 5 feet (1.5 m) of snow fell. Snowdrifts piled up to twice that height!
