Backbone Falls is a waterfall in Johnson County, Tennessee, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 40 feet. It lies about 8.2 miles north of Mountain City and roughly 35.6 miles northeast of Johnson City as the crow flies.
At 40 feet it is taller than the typical Tennessee waterfall of about 30 feet, ranking 103rd of 332 with a recorded height. The water comes down as a horsetail, where the water keeps some contact with the bedrock as it falls.
The Blue Ridge is the highest part of the southern Appalachians, a range of forested peaks and coves with oak, hickory, tulip poplar and hemlock and spruce-fir on the summits, in one of the wettest climates in the East. Steep mountain streams drop over granite, gneiss and quartzite ledges, giving the region hundreds of waterfalls.
There are 4 recorded waterfalls in Johnson County. Backbone Branch Cascade, a 10-foot cascade waterfall, is under a mile away. Big Rock Falls, a 6-foot block waterfall, is about 4.7 miles away across the state line in Virginia. Gentry Creek Falls, an 80-foot tiered waterfall, is about 6.4 miles away.
Backbone Falls is located at 36.5924° N, 81.8158° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.