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Camping · Tennessee

Backbone Rock Recreation Area

USFS · Campground · Fee

Fast facts

Cost
Fee charged
Managed by
USFS
Type
Campground
Hours
Check in: 2:00 p.m.; Check-out: 12:00 p.m.; Quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
Reservations
recreation.gov
Nearest dump station
Cosby RV Sanitary Station · 96.9 mi
Coordinates
36.5957, -81.8184
Last verified
September 18, 2026
36.5957° N · 81.8184° W
Google MapsApple Maps
Last verifiedSeptember 18, 2026

About this place

Backbone Rock Recreation Area on the Iron Mountains offers picnicking and group picnicking. It has a large reservable pavilion and a smaller non-reservable pavilion for those to enjoy with family and friends or for those who prefer solitude. They also include accessible grills, picnic tables, dumpsters and vault toilets. is located along Beaverdam Creek in northern Johnson County. Backbone Rock gets its name from a spur ridge on Holston Mountain that abrubtly ends at a bend in Beaverdam Creek. A tunnel was drilled through the rock in 1901 to allow railroad access between Shady Valley and Damascus, VA. Motorists pass through what is known as ""The Shortest Tunnel in the World"" as they travel along TN 133. In the 1930s The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the recreation area for day use, constructing two picnic shelters and hiking trails that incorporated native stonework. The campground was added in the 1960s and rehabilitated in the mid 1990s.

From the USFS.Official page

Is Backbone Rock Recreation Area free?

No. Backbone Rock Recreation Area charges a fee. It is managed by the USFS. Sites are reservable through recreation.gov.

How do I get to Backbone Rock Recreation Area?

From Bristol - Take US 421 south for 20 miles to Shady Valley. Turn left onto TN 133 for 8 miles to Backbone Recreation Area. From Abingdon, VA - Take US 58 east for 15 miles to Damascus. Turn right onto VA 716 for 5 miles to the recreation area (VA 716 becomes TN 133 at the stateline).

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Nearby

SourceData from the USFS. Last synced September 18, 2026. Community reports and photos are submitted by travelers and are not verified by the agency.

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Disclaimer TerrainKit is an independent product with no affiliation with, sponsorship from or endorsement by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service or any other public agency. Site and access information is compiled from publicly available sources and can go out of date without notice. Confirm current rules, closures, fire restrictions and stay limits with the managing ranger district or field office before you camp.
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47.5053° N · 111.3008° W