Are iCloud backups stored separately from other easily accessible iCloud data?

iCloud has 2 independent functions. iCloud backups, and iCloud sync. It’s confusing because they both have the same name prefix. But they have no connection with each other. Go to Settings/[your name]/iCloud. You will see a bunch of switches (with iOS 16 or later also tap Show All). When you turn on a switch that data type will sync to iCloud. If you do this on multiple devices that share an Apple ID the selected data will sync to all of those devices. 

You can also turn on iCloud Backups. This will back up your phone every night if the phone is plugged in, connected to Wi-Fi and locked.

But note that these are independent functions; anything that you sync by the first method will be excluded from the iCloud backups.

ColerW23 wrote:

are iCloud backups stored separately from other easily accessible iCloud data?

That depends on what you mean by "separately." They are not files that you can look through by logging into iCloud.com. The only way you can access them (without third-party software) is by restoring them to your iPhone. So, what you see when you log into iCloud.com is what you have synced to iCloud.

If you backing up a iPad or iPhone , you won't see them. Other data that is upload like docs and pdf's, rtf, txt (not sure what all the extensions that iCloud can save) files are viewable. What ever is on your Drive.

This is basicially what it looks like