Bureau of Land Management · El Centro Field Office · CA

Cottonwood Campground

3Heads up3 fires, nearest 4 mi
Wildfire
Lost fire · 3.7 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 14, 2026
Wildfire
Mtz/Sdu/Border 9 fire · 26 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 14, 2026
Wildfire
Mutual Aid/Tnr fire · 33 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 13, 2026
First come, first servedNo reservation, and none to be had: the sites go to whoever pulls in first.

This is how it should work.

Right now
Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
Drawn from the record · 4,310 ft · 0% tree cover · water within reach · Bortle 4 sky
4,310 ftElevation
3,069 ftWater · an unnamed pond
9 miSE of Pine Valley, CA
0%Tree cover
Bortle 4Night sky · 969th darkest of 1,201 in CA

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there

In the agency’s own words

Among the live oaks in southeastern San Diego County is Cottonwood Campground. The campground offers a tranquil and refreshing experience. Cottonwood Campground is an excellent starting point for day hikes, overnight backpacking trips, and equestrian use. The campground is located in the McCain Valley Resource Conservation Area. A trail out of the campground leads to the Sombrero Peak Area, Upper Bow Willow Canyon, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The Pepperwood Trail and Sombrero Peak Trail are both rated moderate to strenuous. Keep reading

The trails are sandy in composition and meander through public, state, and private lands. Elevations range from 3,000 to 4,500 feet. This makes the area an excellent escape from the hot summer temperatures of lower elevations. Most precipitation is received from December through April. Thundershowers are common during July and August. Winter temperatures range from the 50s (F) to below freezing, with occasional snowfalls. Summer temperatures range from 60 to 95 degrees (F).Cottonwood Campground is a year-round facility with 25 developed campsites. Fire rings, tables, and vault toilets are found in the campground. Horses are allowed only in the east loop of Cottonwood Campground. No group camping sites are available. No off highway vehicle (OHV) use is permitted in Cottonwood Campground or on McCain Valley Road. A $6.00 per campsite fee is required for camping at all BLM campsites. All sites are available on a first come first served basis. Except for backpacking, all camping in McCain Valley must be in a designated campsite. A campfire permit may be required. Contact the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for regulations.

Facilities

Toilets
Vault Toilets
“…campsites. Fire rings, tables, and vault toilets are found in the campground. Horses are allowed…”
Source: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

Auto Touring
Biking
Hiking
Horseback riding
Hunting
Wildlife viewing
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Nothing to book, just show up

One of 1,623 federal campgrounds where the site still goes to whoever pulls in first. Get there before noon on a summer weekend.

recreation.gov publishes no availability for a campground you can’t reserve, so there’s no thirty-night reading to draw here. The season bar above is what the agency does publish.

BookingNo reservationsNothing to book, and no release date to wait forthe agency’s record
Runs itBureau of Land Managementthe agency’s record
Every line of the receipt · 3

What you actually pay

The sign priceBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management publishes no per-night rate for this campground that we can read, so there’s no sign price to print. That’s a gap in the record, not a free campground.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Nothing. This campground takes no bookings, so there’s no reservation fee to pay.
What a stay costs
The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s no total to show.
How we know this receipt · 4

rules read Sep 7, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the phone number

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today65°Sunny3% rain
Tonight54°Slight Chance Rain Showers17% rain
Saturday58°Mostly Sunny4% rain
Saturday Night51°Mostly Clear

NWS forecast for Mount Laguna, CA

Typical weather

Typical October night 42°F, day 69°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical December night 32°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: CUYAMACA, CA (USC00042239), 20 miles away and 330 ft higher

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

Darrell Issa, official portrait

Cottonwood Campground is in California’s 48th congressional district. Its representative, Darrell Issa (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: Bureau of Land Management publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.
Cell signal: the BLM’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.
Nearest place of any size: Mount Laguna, CA, 6.2 mi SE (a census designated place). Straight line.