Balsam Gap (el. ) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

between the Plott Balsam Range to the northwest and the

Great Balsam Mountains The Great Balsam Mountains, or Balsam Mountains, are in the mountain region of western North Carolina, United States. The Great Balsams are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which in turn are a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The most f ...

to the southeast on the county line dividing

Haywood Haywood may refer to: Places Canada * Haywood, Manitoba United Kingdom * Haywood, Herefordshire * Great Haywood, Staffordshire * Little Haywood, Staffordshire United States * Hayward, California, formerly Haywood * Haywood, Kentucky * Haywood, ...

and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The gap allows both the

Great Smoky Mountains Expressway The Great Smoky Mountains Expressway is a four-lane divided highway that serves as the main east–west corridor through Southwestern North Carolina; connecting the towns of Bryson City, Sylva and Waynesville to Interstate 40. Its establishmen ...

and the former Murphy Branch of the Southern Railway, now owned by

Blue Ridge Southern Railroad The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad is a Class III shortline railroad operating over of track in Western North Carolina. The railroad is owned by Watco of Pittsburg, Kansas, and operates three lines that connect in the Asheville area that were pr ...

,Kansas company buys railroad lines in Jackson County, WNC
''The Sylva Herald'' (retrieved 14 September 2015) to cross between the two counties running east–west. The

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

also runs through the gap in a north–south direction crossing both the expressway and railway branch. The gap is named for the Great Balsam Mountains in which it lies. The small, unincorporated communities of

Balsam Balsam is the resinous exudate (or sap) which forms on certain kinds of trees and shrubs. Balsam (from Latin balsamum "gum of the balsam tree", ultimately from Semitic, Aramaic ''busma'', Arabic ''balsam'' and Hebrew ''basam'', "spice", "perfume ...

in Jackson County and Saunook in Haywood County are also located close by.

References

Landforms of Haywood County, North Carolina Landforms of Jackson County, North Carolina Mountain passes of North Carolina Transportation in Haywood County, North Carolina Transportation in Jackson County, North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway U.S. Route 23 U.S. Route 74 {{JacksonCountyNC-geo-stub