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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. Tennessee
  3. Backbone Rock Campground

Camping at Backbone Rock Campground near Shady Valley

Public campground · Shady Valley · 10 campsites

A forested campground near trout fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups.

About this campground

Backbone Rock Campground sits along Beaverdam Creek at about 2,100 feet in northern Johnson County, just north of the rock tunnel known as Backbone Rock on Tennessee Highway 133. The creek is a focal point here it's stocked with trout and has a popular swim area that draws people on hot summer days, and the surrounding forest gives a fairly enclosed, shady feel to the individual sites.

5.0 on Recreation.gov · 70 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 4 photos

At a glance

  • RV fit varies by site

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Flush toilets

Not listed — confirm before booking: Max RV length isn't listed.

OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 10 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
06
standard nonelectric
––$10
09
standard nonelectric
––$10
01
standard nonelectric
––$10
07
standard nonelectric
––$10
10
standard nonelectric
––$10
04
standard nonelectric
––$10
02
standard nonelectric
––$10
05
standard nonelectric
––$10
03
standard nonelectric
––$20
08
standard nonelectric
No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Accessible Campsites
  • Accessible Grills
  • Accessible Sites
  • Creek Access
  • Day Use Area
  • Drinking Water
  • Flush Toilets
  • Historic Sites
  • Horseshoe Pit
  • Host
  • Parking Area
  • Paved Roads
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
11:00 AM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 10 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

4400 Unicoi Drive
Open in Google Maps ↗

Backbone Rock Campground: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Backbone Rock Campground?
11 RV-capable sites, no length limits listed (per the listing)
Does Backbone Rock Campground have RV hookups?
10 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Backbone Rock Campground?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Backbone Rock Campground?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing 11 RV-capable sites, no length limits listed
Hookups & power
Listing 10 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 0 pull-through, 11 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 11 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): Verizon 0 (32 reports), AT&T 0 (14 reports), T-Mobile 0 (13 reports)
Water
Listing Drinking water listed
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $10/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing 4400 Unicoi Drive (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite · Shade
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (70 reviews, ★ 5.0). Not written or edited by us.

“My favorite camping spot in the mountains!!!”

Pam T 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov

“A good small campground. Lovely view at the creek running behind everything.”

Joshua L 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov

“The camp host, Mike, was very helpful and kind. He kept the campsites so tidy and nice looking. The campsite is only 3-5minutes from service in the nearby town, which is nice. Even though the site is so close to service, there is little road noise other than a few cars. ”

Emily N 5 · Sep 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Prefer a roof?

Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • Grayson Highlands State Park17.8 mi · Mouth Of Wilson
  • Blue Bear Mountain Camp21.9 mi · Boone
  • Hungry Mother State Park25.3 mi · Marion

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Shady Valley
  • RV rentals near Shady Valley
  • Glamping & cabins near Shady Valley
  • RV rentals in Tennessee
  • Glamping in Tennessee

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
–
–
$20

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights3 sites open for every night

Old Mill Music & RV Park

3.5 mi from Backbone Rock Campground (straight-line)
Sites from $50/night
$100 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Campspot · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights1 site open for every night

Beech Grove River Spot

6.9 mi from Backbone Rock Campground (straight-line)
Sites from $45/night
$90 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights4 sites open for every night

Stormbrew Farm

8.9 mi from Backbone Rock Campground (straight-line)
Sites from $28/night
$56 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.

  1. Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

    • Check in and set up camp.
    • fish for trout (per the campground listing)
  2. Day 2 · Get out and explore

    • Horse and Carriage Ride through Moses H. Cone Park Boone area · 2 hr · from $125/person
    • Boone, NC Walking Food and History Tour Boone area · 3 hr · from $120/person
  3. Day 3 · One more stop, then head home

    • Boone NC EVENING Walking Food and History Tour Boone area · 3 hr · from $199/person
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 10 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

2020 Bullet Ultra Lite Full Bunks+2 Baths
2020 Bullet Ultra Lite Full Bunks+2 Baths

Travel trailer · 37 ft · sleeps 10 · 104 mi from campground

$175/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
PUMPKIN 2021 Sunray 109
PUMPKIN 2021 Sunray 109

Travel trailer · 12 ft · sleeps 2 · 105 mi from campground

$75/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
2022 Dutchmen Coleman Lantern LT
2022 Dutchmen Coleman Lantern LT

Travel trailer · 29 ft · sleeps 8 · 115 mi from campground

$110/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Backbone Rock Campground

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Horse and Carriage Ride through Moses H. Cone Park
Horse and Carriage Ride through Moses H. Cone Park

Boone area · 2 hr · from $125/person

Boone, NC Walking Food and History Tour
Boone, NC Walking Food and History Tour

Boone area · 3 hr · from $120/person

Boone NC EVENING Walking Food and History Tour
Boone NC EVENING Walking Food and History Tour

Boone area · 3 hr · from $199/person

See 2 more bookable tours
Boone Bash Scavenger Hunt
Boone Bash Scavenger Hunt

Boone area · 2 hr · from $29/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Peak season Apr 27–Oct 12: RV & Tent $10–$20 per night

stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Backbone Rock Campground

For May weekends, book about 111 days ahead. Three in four May Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 67 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
May67 days ahead111 days ahead38 days ahead116 days ahead
June37 days ahead82 days ahead25 days ahead66 days ahead
July24 days ahead61 days ahead25 days ahead63 days ahead
August28 days ahead59 days ahead26 days ahead83 days ahead
September35 days ahead57 days ahead20 days ahead51 days ahead
October34 days ahead66 days ahead19 days ahead38 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (2,306 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Blowing Rock Scavenger Hunt and Escape Game
Blowing Rock Scavenger Hunt and Escape Game

Boone area · 45 min · from $10/person

Compare site types

10 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

10 sites · $10, $20/night

Loops: BACKBONE ROCK CAMPGROUND (10)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15