Established Camping
Backbone Horse Campground
About
National Forest
Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests
Backbone Horse Campground is a small, semi-primitive campground designed for campers or picnickers with horses. Horse users only are allowed from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day weekend. There is a pond available for watering livestock.
Fee Info
There is no fee for camping but a free use permit must be completed upon entering the campground.
Reservation Info
The campground is open year round and sites are available on a first come first serve basis.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Equestrian
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Phone Service
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires

Quiet and peaceful
Perfect quiet spot to star gaze and listen to the wildlife. We had perfect weather and it was a spectacular night!
We had the whole place to ourselves
This is a great little campground with fairly large sites. We were initially going to stay at Blueberry Patch however our tent was too large for the sites available. We see a posting that there were sites at Backbone that were for people with or without horses. More than half of the camp is…
Central Primitive Spot
We originally came down to the National Forest to stay at the Blueberry Patch Campground but it was full by noon on the Friday before Memorial Day. This was also the first day it was open. We ended up having to come to this location. It was actually perfect for our small popup, but the horse riders…
Location
Backbone Horse Campground is located in New York
Directions
From the South: Take State Route 14 North (Exit 52 off State Route 17) to Watkins Glen, NY. In Watkins Glen, turn right at the Fourth St intersec-tion onto State Route 414 North. Go approxi-mately 9 miles north, past the Hector Ranger Sta-tion of the Finger Lakes National Forest. 0.5 miles past the Ranger Station, turn right on Schuyler County Route 2. Travel for 3.5 miles east. Back-bone Campground is on the left, opposite the in-tersection with Burnt Hill Road. From the North: Take State Route 414 South to Hector, NY (Exit 41 off I-90). In Hector, 1 mile past the Dandy Mini Mart, turn left onto County Route 2, the second asphalt road on the left. Travel for 3.5 miles east. Backbone Campground is on the left, opposite the intersection with Burnt Hill Road.
Coordinates
42.51472209 N
76.78981127 W