Balsam is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States.

The town and ranges are named after the nicknames of the red spruce and Fraser fir ("he-balsam" and "she-balsam," respectively), which are the dominant tree types at the highest elevations in the Southern Appalachian mountains.

Balsam was a tourist stop on the Murphy Branch of the Western North Carolina Railroad, later the Southern Railway.

It was moved up the ridge in the 1960s to a private location and the original siding sees little use by the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Balsam Mountain Inn, renovated in 1990 and refurbished in 2004 is still in operation, serves as a nostalgic reminder of a by-gone era with its restaurant.

Another notable building, Knight's Store, stands near where the depot once stood at the bottom of the hill the Balsam Mountain Inn sits on.

Balsam is located near several popular recreational areas, some of which are accessible from the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway.