I learned that these verdant mountains earned their “smoky” name from the omnipresent fog that gives an impression of smoke. This area was originally occupied by the native American Cherokee Nation, who named it Shaconage, which translates as “place of the blue smoke.” The fog is due to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) given off by the millions of plants in the mountains that release a vapor that often is bluish in color.

 

Newfound Gap Road travels for 33 miles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Cherokee, North Carolina and is known as one of the most popular scenic drives in the Smoky Mountains. At an elevation of 5,056 feet, it is the lowest drivable pass through the Smoky Mountains, which are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains as well as part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.