Backbone Rock, Tennessee
Posted by: 
macleod1
N 36° 35.663 W 081° 48.910
17S E 427085 N 4050186
Backbone Rock is located 1/2 mile north of Backbone Rock on TN Highway 133. A walk to the top of this rock is one that you will never forget. We have walked/climbed this rock and the view from the top is incredible.
Waymark Code: WM3Z9B
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 06/10/2008
Views: 39
Believe it or not we have actually climbed it in the snowy month of February with a couple of feet of snow on the ground. What were we thinking?
Below is history of this rock archway is from: (
visit link)
During the early 1900’s one of the primary industries in the Southern Appalachian Mountains was timber harvesting. The Tennessee Lumber Company moved to the Sutherland area at this time and set up a mill to cut timber. The company hired 400 men to keep the operation running. The Tennessee Lumber Company sawed 100,000 board feet a day. To get the timber to market, railroad lines were constructed throughout the land. Most of the track was laid following the natural terrain.
In 1901 the Empire Mining Company was laying track and they came to a stone ridge that stands seventy-five feet high, and was approximately 20 feet thick. The ridge was named Backbone Rock because of its appearance. This rock was above the Sutherland Community. It was an extension from the Iron Mountain Range. Beaverdam Creek flowed around the end of the rock.
The company decided to blast a short tunnel through the rock to lay its tracks. The Empire Mining Company built the Beaver Dam Railroad to connect with the Virginia-Carolina line. After the tunnel was blasted and the track was laid the smoke stack of the train's engine could not pass through the tunnel. The top of the tunnel had to be hand chiseled to eliminate this problem.
The lumber was about used up by 1912 and the Tennessee Lumber Company moved its saw mill. After logging stopped the United States Forest Service used the railroad bed as a truck trail. A trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s to the top of Backbone Rock above the tunnel. Today Highway 133 goes through the tunnel.
The area around Backbone Rock was developed by the Tennessee Wildlife Agency for camping, picnicking, fishing, and hiking. Beaverdam Creek runs next to Backbone Rock and through the picnic area. You will find 44 picnic tables, two logged sheltered picnic tables, open fireplaces, horseshoe pits, and camping sites. There are several hiking trails. One goes across the top of the rock. Another hiking trail takes you to Backbone Rock Falls. Now the area is part of the Cherokee National Forest and is maintained by the forest services.