Agency-listedUSFSFee
Backbone Rock Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 36.59569, -81.81836
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Backbone Rock Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,130 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Backbone Rock CampgroundNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Backbone Rock Campground · Cherokee National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- OOutfitter3 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- WWater23 mi
- DDump25 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- AAir-up29 mi
- PPropane33 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 23-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 3 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Backbone Rock Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,130 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
36.59569, -81.81836
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Backbone Rock Campground · Cherokee National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townDamascus · ~3.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCitgo · ~3.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~24.9 mi
- GroceriesCountry Corner · ~3.1 mi
- PharmacyKroger Pharmacy · ~11.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicSavida Health · ~12.0 mi
- HardwareMuse Hardware · ~8.4 mi
EV charging — from Backbone Rock Campground · Cherokee National Forest · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.9 mi straight-line S — GPM INVESTMENTS 3416 DC 2, Mountain City, TN · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: Mon: 12:00am-11:59pm; Tue: 12:00am-11:59pm; Wed: 12:00am-11:59pm; Thu: 12:00am-11:59pm; Fri: 12:00am-11:59pm; Sat: 12:00am-11:59pm; Sun: 12:00am-11:59pm · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach14 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 159 within 100 · 420 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO8.9 mi — GPM INVESTMENTS 3416 DC 1, Mountain City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.5 mi — Mountain City Town Hall (at a municipal building) · EVMATCH · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-12-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 449919 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Backbone Rock Campground · Cherokee National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomBackbone Rock Campground · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomMRATC Straight Branch Vault Privy · ~5.5 mi NE · NPS
- RestroomMRATC Saunders Shelter Privy · ~6.5 mi NE · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletSaunders A.T. Shelter · ~6.5 mi NE · USFS
Open Backbone Rock Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Backbone Rock Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- A.T. Abington Gap Shelter~4.8 mi
- Saunders A.T. Shelter~6.5 mi
- Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #5~7.6 mi
- Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area~7.8 mi
The unit that manages Backbone Rock Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Backbone Rock Campground are set by Cherokee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Backbone Rock Campground
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Backbone Rock Campground
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Backbone Rock Campground
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Picking a spot →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →