Backbone Rock Campground

US Forest Service · Tennessee

Backbone Rock Campground in Tennessee. Ringed marker is this site; the other dots are the 298 public campsites we map in Tennessee.

Backbone Rock Campground will open for the 2026 season on 4/27/26. The pavilion and vault toilets in the day-use area will open on 3/16/26. Backbone Rock is a small campground situated along the beautiful Beaverdam Creek at an elevation of 2,100 feet in northern Johnson County. This developed campground is popular with those visiting the nearby Backbone Rock, a tunnel originally blasted through the rock ridge for the railway.

What we know about it

Managed by

US Forest Service

Fee

Not published (the agency does not list one)

Booking

Reservation required

Dogs

Allowed on a leash (USFS policy)

Phone

423-735-1500

Coordinates

36.59389, -81.81500

Nearest sites we map

• Backbone Rock Recreation Area Pavilions0 km · US Forest Service
• Iron Mountains13 km · US Forest Service
• Jacobs Creek Campground (Tn)17 km · US Forest Service
• Jacobs Creek Campground18 km · US Forest Service
• A.T. Double Springs Shelter18 km · US Forest Service
• Little Oak Campground23 km · US Forest Service

Source: Recreation.gov, dated 2026-03-11, fetched 2026-09-07. Official listing.

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