New York · Camping

Backbone Horse Camp

from $15
fee
Aug–Sep
best months

Is Backbone Horse Camp open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests. It doesn't name Backbone Horse Camp, so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

  • At 1,649 ft
  • Hector Ranger DistrictGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests

Backbone Horse Campground is a small, semi-primitive campground in the Hector Ranger District of the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests in upstate New York. The Forest Service manages the land, and the camp is designed primarily for campers or picnickers who bring horses with them. Vault toilets are the only facility on site. A fee is charged for use, according to Forest Service records. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 79°F with lows near 56°F, while winter highs stay around 30°F in January. The Horse hike starts just 0.1 mile away, and Blueberry Patch campground is 0.4 mile off. Potomac Group Campground and the Potomac hike lie about a mile away.

  • Best time to go · Aug–Sep

    Best time to visit Backbone Horse Camp

    Best months: August–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      30° / 14°

      17 wet

    2. Feb

      32° / 15°

      14 wet

    3. Mar

      39° / 21°

      15 wet

    4. Apr

      53° / 32°

      14 wet

    5. May

      66° / 43°

      14 wet

    6. Jun

      74° / 52°

      13 wet

    7. Jul

      79° / 56°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      77° / 55°

      12 wet

    9. Sep

      71° / 48°

      12 wet

    10. Oct

      58° / 39°

      15 wet

    11. Nov

      46° / 30°

      14 wet

    12. Dec

      35° / 21°

      17 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mecklenburg 4sw, NY, 3.9 mi away at 1,510 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.