Soco Gap

Soco Gap
ᎠᎭᎷᏄn'Ᏹ Ahalunun'yi, meaning "Ambush Place"
280px Various boundaries marked at Soco Gap
Elevation	4,340 ft (1,323 m)
Traversed by	US 19 / Blue Ridge Pkwy
Location	North Carolina United States
Range	Balsam Mountains
Coordinates
Topo map	USGS Sylva North
The pass is between Haywood and Jackson counties and marks the Qualla Boundary

Soco Gap (el. 4,340 ft (1,320 m)) is a mountain pass between the Plott Balsam Range, to its south, and Balsam Mountain, to its north. Also known as Ahalunun'yi (ᎠᎭᎷᏄn'Ᏹ), meaning "Ambush Place" or Uni'halu'na (ᎤᏂ'ᎭᎷ'Ꮎ), meaning "where they ambushed;" named after when the Cherokees ambushed a party of invading Shawnees, all of which were killed except for one, who was sent back to tell his people of the Cherokee victory.

The gap is the eastern point of the Qualla Boundary, which marks the territory held as a land trust for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The gap also separates Haywood and Jackson counties and separates the river basins to the French Broad and Little Tennessee.

U.S. Route 19 (Soco Road) traverses through the gap, which connects Cherokee and Maggie Valley. The Blue Ridge Parkway also passes through the gap, providing scenic views along the adjacent ridge lines.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons