Backbone Mountain is a mountain range in the central Appalachians in the United States. It stretches approximately 10 mi (16 km) southwest to northeast, from northern West Virginia into Garrett County in western Maryland. The summit of the ridge is Hoye Crest (named for Captain Charles Hoye of the Garrett County Maryland Historical Society), located in Maryland, just east of the state line and forms the highest point in the state.
The mountain range provides a boundary between two watersheds. The headwaters of Youghiogheny River, in the watershed of the Mississippi River, lie just northwest of the mountain, whereas the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac River lie just south of the mountain, along the West Virginia-Maryland border.
The ridge is crossed by U.S. Highway 50.
