Cottonwood Campground Introduce
Cottonwood Campground is a popular camping destination located within Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. Situated in the southern part of the park, this campground offers a unique desert camping experience with opportunities for stargazing, hiking, and birdwatching.
Environment: Cottonwood Campground is located at a lower elevation compared to other campgrounds in Joshua Tree National Park. The landscape surrounding the campground is characterized by the Colorado Desert, with its distinct vegetation, including cottonwood trees, ocotillo, and various cacti. The area is also known for its diverse birdlife, making it a great spot for birdwatching. Due to its lower elevation, Cottonwood Campground tends to be warmer than other campgrounds in the park, especially during the summer months.
Services and Facilities: Cottonwood Campground offers the following amenities:
- Tent campsites with picnic tables and fire rings
- Flush toilets
- Potable water
- Designated parking areas
Please note that there are no hookups for RVs or trailers at Cottonwood Campground.
Activities and Features: Cottonwood Campground's location within Joshua Tree National Park provides access to a variety of activities and features:
- Hiking: Several hiking trails are located near the campground, offering opportunities to explore the park's diverse landscapes and unique plant life. The Cottonwood Spring Trail is a popular option for birdwatching and wildflower viewing.
- Stargazing: Joshua Tree National Park is renowned for its exceptional stargazing, and Cottonwood Campground, with its dark night skies, is an ideal spot to enjoy the celestial wonders.
- Birdwatching: The campground and surrounding areas are home to a variety of bird species, making it a haven for birdwatchers.
- Wildflower Viewing: During the spring months, the desert landscape comes alive with colorful wildflowers, providing a beautiful spectacle for visitors.
Campground Promotion Information:
- Cottonwood Campground is a reservation-only campground. Reservations can be made online through Recreation.gov.
- Campers are advised to book their reservations well in advance, especially during peak season (spring and fall), as the campground fills up quickly.
- There is a fee for camping at Cottonwood Campground.
- Quiet hours are enforced from 10 PM to 6 AM.
- Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash at all times.
- Campfires are permitted only in designated fire rings.
- Visitors are encouraged to practice Leave No Trace principles to minimize their impact on the environment.
Cottonwood Campground offers a unique and memorable camping experience in Joshua Tree National Park. Its diverse natural environment, combined with opportunities for hiking, stargazing, and birdwatching, makes it a popular choice for outdoor enthusiasts seeking a more secluded and rustic camping experience.
Location
Customer Reviews
Good sites with electrical hook up. Variety of sizes. Washrooms were mostly clean.
Large group campsite located within Joshua Tree National Park. Obviously, there's no hotel here, so I cannot rate the rooms or the service. I recommend bringing sunscreen and bug spray. They do allow recreational vehicles, but tents are superior when you're camping under the stars, or are in the desert in general.
Fall asleep to the gentle hum of RV generators that drown out the call of owls, coyotes and conversations of your campmates. For your friends and family who are less enthused about roughing it, The restrooms are great, with running water and flush toilets. There are water spigots sprinkled throughout the campground. An ideal spot to fill up your water bottles before venturing deeper into the park. Note that not all the sites are RV friendly- some are quite small and we saw a few people have difficulty fitting their tow vehicle in with their trailer in the same spot. Note: there is no additional parking in this campground. Once settled, a quick bike ride brings you to the trailhead for lost palm trail. You can also walk or ride your bike to the visitor center to gawk at tour buses disgorging large groups of tourists in bucket hats and name badges. Head across the street to Pinkham canyon road for a mountain bike ride (make it a loop with the entrance road if you’re feeling adventurous) overall cottonwood campground is a great place to consider staying.
Really enjoyed this campground. It's amazing what some people write about this place, its remote, yes. Not full of boulders, yes, but its quiet, clean, peaceful and serene. if you want complete peace, go to the middle of the Mojave desert. This campground is 17 minutes from Chiriaco Summit, resturant, market, gas station, airport strip, from WW2, historic George Patton tank museum. George Patton trained his troops here in 1942, the big war. The family owned historic restaurant is really good, worth the drive. They also have nice clean flushing bathrooms and stars galore, and with a motorhome and starlink very comfy. The sites are not level, so bring leveling blocks.
I'm going to say that this is the worst campsite in the entire Joshua tree Park. It's boring there's nothing really there very light trails. It seems the warmest It's flat with nothing really to see It's right next to the freeway And it's over an hour drive to get to the nearest scenic thing inside of Joshua tree. I will never again pay money to stay here
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