12 Free Swimming Holes near Backbone Rock
first prev 1 next lastShowing Swimming Holes within 50 miles Distance miles of 10556 TN-133, Shady Valley, TN 37688, USA City, Zip, or Address
Blue Hole Mill Creek
Elizabethton, Tennessee
18.2 miles SWSwim near Elizabethton, Tennessee
Swim
Elk Shoals
West Jefferson, North Carolina
26.4 miles SESwim near West Jefferson, North Carolina
Swim
Twisted Falls / Compression Falls
Butler, Tennessee
26.7 miles STwisting Falls (Compression Falls) is a dramatic Elk River gorge waterfall in northeast Tennessee — stunning, but one of the region's deadliest jump spots.
Swim
Elk River Falls
Elk Park, North Carolina
28.4 miles SSwim near Elk Park, North Carolina
Swim
Laurel Fork
Hampton, Tennessee
28.5 miles SWSwim near Hampton, Tennessee
Swim
Cedar Creek Falls
Honaker, Virginia
28.7 miles NWAlso known as 'Big Falls' — a sun-warmed swimming hole with a 50-foot-wide pool roughly 10 feet deep at the base of the falls, with a safe jump spot on the eastern end.
Swim
Little Stony Falls Area
Dungannon, Virginia
40.8 miles NWA large pool beneath a 25-foot waterfall, framed by sunning rocks, makes Little Stony Falls a relaxed and likely clothing-optional destination in the Virginia mountains.
Swim
Rock Creek
Unicoi, Tennessee
43.6 miles SWA man-made concrete-bottom stream-fed pool with a sandy beach and short waterfall makes Rock Creek a refreshing — if chilly in June — summer splash near Unicoi.
Swim
Dark Horse Hollow
Wytheville, Virginia
43.7 miles NEA secluded sandy beach and easy loop trail in Jefferson National Forest make this a quiet picnic stop — the swimming area is reportedly closed, so wade and sunbathe only.
Swim
Wilson Creek Area
Collettsville, North Carolina
44.7 miles SNumerous waterfalls and swimming holes tucked throughout the Wilson Creek area — most require short or longer hikes to find, but all are gems worth the effort in the Pisgah National Forest.
Swim
Linville Gorge Area
Marion, North Carolina
47.9 miles SLinville Gorge's deep swimming holes reward serious adventurers who navigate rough roads and steep trails — but the gorge is easy to get lost in, so go prepared.
Swim 6.6 mi
Devil's Bathtub
Duffield, Virginia
48.7 miles WA 7.2-mile rocky loop through Devil's Fork's extremely cold crystal-clear swimming holes, culminating in the famous Devil's Bathtub — a deep waterfall pool beneath steep rippled cliffs.
Hike, Swim
