Cottonwood Campground (CA)
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We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:35 UTC
- A night
- $35From, per site
- Sites
- 6259 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 14 notices
In the agency’s own words
Download the NPS app prior to visiting the park – trail maps and more! Cottonwood Campground is one of the best places in Joshua Tree National Park for stargazing and wildflower viewing. Easy access from Interstate 10, makes it a popular stopover for travelers. To get the most out of your visit Plan Like a Park Ranger Visitors who enjoy warm, dry winters flock to Joshua Tree from October through May, when temperatures reach between 70 to 90-degrees during the day and drop to 40 to 60-degrees at night. Summer is the park's off-season due to the uncomfortably high desert heat; however, reservations are required year-round. Cottonwood Campground is at an elevation of 3,000 ft. and has little shade from vegetation. Keep reading
Recreation
Stargazing and wildflower viewing are among the most popular activities at this facility. Several hiking trails leave from the campground and several more trailheads are within a one to two hour drive.
Facilities
There are 62 sites, each with a fire ring and picnic table. There are no electrical hookups. Drinking water and flush toilets are provided.
Natural Features
The landscape around Cottonwood is that of the Colorado Desert, which encompasses the southern edge of the park and a large portion of Southern California. Rather than being surrounded by large rock formations and uniquely-shaped Joshua trees, like campgrounds in the northern section, this facility overlooks flat, open-desert shrubland. It is also further from towns or cities that would contribute light pollution. As a result, it offers wide, dark and uninterrupted views of the night sky that draw astronomers and amateur sky watchers alike. Cottonwood is at a lower elevation than other campgrounds within the park, so desert wildflowers begin to bloom earlier in the spring than in other locations. Flowering occurs anytime between the beginning of February to the end of March; timing varies depending on the amount of winter precipitation and the arrival of warm temperatures.
Nearby Attractions
The General Patton Memorial Museum, a U.S. military history museum, is just over 12 miles away in the town of Chiriaco.
Charges & Cancellations
Reservation Cancellations & Changes Cancelling a Reservation: Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation. Changing an Existing Reservation: When changes are made prior to the cut-off window: If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee. There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes dates from the original reservation. If they choose to depart early, they may forfeit the recreation fee for the day of departure. There is no change fee if the customer wants to switch sites that are the same price with the same reservation dates in the same facility. If a reservation is made that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window, that reservation cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the original booking date. Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. No-Shows Overnight Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out (noon) time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (noon) on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night’s recreation fee for a campsite. *Note: the entire reservation will be cancelled for no-shows.
What the agency tells you
Download the NPS app prior to visiting the park – trail maps and more!
Reservations are required year round and can be made the same day or up to 6 months in advance.
The park allows six people, two vehicles and three tents per site, however, some sites are small and may not accommodate the maximum number of people and vehicles. See Site Details for specifics. There is no overflow parking. Trailers count as a vehicle.
Everything else this campground posts · 11
Due to narrow parking areas, most campsites cannot accommodate RV slideouts.
No-Shows Overnight Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out (noon) time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (noon) on the day following the arrival date. A $20.00 service fee and the first night’s recreation fee will be deducted from any refund for unused nights. *Note: the entire reservation will be cancelled for no-shows.
Please call 760-367-5554 for information.
$30 per vehicle entrance fee is in addition to camping fee. Passes can be purchased ahead of time online here.
There are no electric, water or sewer hook-ups available at individual campsites; a dump station ($5 additional fee) is located nearby. Flush toilets and potable water are available in the campground.
Generator use is permitted only from 7–9 am, noon–2 pm, and 5–7 pm.
Pets are not allowed on trails but are welcome in the campground, on any dirt road or within 100 feet of any road. Pets must be on a leash no more than 6 feet long at all times. Pets may not be left unattended or tied to an object; leaving pets in unattended vehicles is strongly discouraged – especially on warm days
Don’t Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood near the park and burning it on-site, and do not use park vegetation, living or dead, for fuel.
All organized events require a special use permit and must be held in designated areas; contact the Special Park Use Coordinator, jotr_permit_office@nps.gov.
STOP THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES. Remove plants, seeds, animals, and mud from boots, gear, pets, and vehicles. Clean your gear before entering and leaving the recreation site. Stay on designated roads and trails, and follow local guidelines for firewood. For more information visit the National Invasive Species Information Center.
FIRE BAN fire restriction are currently in effect that prohibit charcoal fires, wood-burning fires, and charcoal grills. NO Fires! Only gas or propane stoves are permitted. Starting June 1st, ending October 1st of every year.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 62 · 3 tent-only
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 48 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets - year round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 30 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- Hiking
- Ranger programs
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 926th darkest of 1,201 in CA
- Bortle 4
Full this Saturdayread 15:35 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Every one of the 58 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 51 are free on Tue, Oct 20. read 15:35 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 12
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $35 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Changing an Existing Reservation: When changes are made prior to the cut-off window: If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee.” · this campground’s own no-show terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 15:35 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
62 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 59 mapped sitesAll 62 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 50 of the 62 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A01 | standard nonelectric | 73 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A02 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 61 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A03 | rv nonelectric | 40 ft | 67 ft | 10.0 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A04 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 71 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A05 | rv nonelectric | 40 ft | 67 ft | 10.0 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A06 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 69 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A07 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 86 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A08 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 76 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A09 | rv nonelectric | 42 ft | 90 ft | 10.0 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A10 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 51 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A11 | tent only nonelectric | 40 ft | 76 ft | 10.0 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A12 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 38 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A13 | type not stated | 42 ft | 10.0 mi | ||
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A14 | tent only nonelectric | 25 ft | 38 ft | 10.0 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A15 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 50 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A16 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 46 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A17 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 46 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A18 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 63 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A19 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 46 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A20 | standard nonelectric | 26 ft | 57 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A21 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 57 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A22 | type not stated | 10.0 mi | |||
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A23 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 78 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A24 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 67 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A25 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 71 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A26 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 54 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A27 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 75 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A28 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 54 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A29 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 77 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A30 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 61 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | A31 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 73 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B01 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 68 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B02 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 55 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B03 | rv nonelectric | 38 ft | 68 ft | 10.0 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B04 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 61 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B05 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 79 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B06 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 61 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B07 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 78 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B08 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 55 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B09 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | 69 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B10 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 55 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B11 | tent only nonelectric | 40 ft | 84 ft | 10.1 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B12 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 48 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B13 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 84 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B14 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | 36 ft | 10.1 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B15 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 83 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B16 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 36 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B17 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 77 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B18 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 56 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B19 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 72 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B20 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 60 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B21 | type not stated | 42 ft | 10.1 mi | ||
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B22 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 60 ft | 10.1 mi | |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B23 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 61 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B24 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 57 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B25 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 61 ft | 10.1 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B26 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 57 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B27 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 70 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B28 | standard nonelectric | 22 ft | 70 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B29 | standard nonelectric | 44 ft | 76 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B30 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 55 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
| COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (CA) | B31 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 92 ft | 10.0 mi | $35 |
25 of 62 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Cottonwood GroupJoshua Tree National Park · 0.0 mi
White Tank CampgroundJoshua Tree National Park · 20 mi
Belle CampgroundJoshua Tree National Park · 21 mi
Jumbo Rocks CampgroundJoshua Tree National Park · 22 mi
Sheep Pass GroupJoshua Tree National Park · 24 mi
Ryan CampgroundJoshua Tree National Park · 25 miThe park headquarters address is not the physical address of the campground. To get to the campground, take Interstate 10 to the I-10 exit 168 Mecca/Twentynine Palms exit and follow signs to Joshua Tree National Park. The exit is 25 miles east of Indio, California.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Coachella, CA
Typical weather
Typical October night 52°F, day 82°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 36°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
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 Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Cottonwood Campground (CA) is in California’s 25th congressional district. Its representative, Raul Ruiz (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 4
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The office that runs itJoshua Tree National ParkNational Park Service unit
- The member who votes the moneyRaul RuizU.S. Representative · California’s 25th district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationAdam B. SchiffU.S. Senator · California
- Your senator, on the same appropriationAlex PadillaU.S. Senator · California
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.
Subject Hold back a share of sites at Cottonwood Campground (CA) for campers who drive up
To the National Park Service, Joshua Tree National Park: I tried to camp at Cottonwood Campground (CA) in California and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 59 of the 62 campsites the agency files at Cottonwood Campground (CA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 58 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cottonwood Campground (CA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at Cottonwood Campground (CA) as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked. Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one. Sent about Cottonwood Campground (CA) (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cottonwood Campground (CA), Joshua Tree National Park, California
Dear Raul Ruiz, I’m a constituent in California’s 25th district. I tried to camp at Cottonwood Campground (CA), Joshua Tree National Park, California, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 59 of the 62 campsites the agency files at Cottonwood Campground (CA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 58 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cottonwood Campground (CA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cottonwood Campground (CA). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cottonwood Campground (CA) (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cottonwood Campground (CA), Joshua Tree National Park, California
Dear Adam B. Schiff, I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at Cottonwood Campground (CA), Joshua Tree National Park, California, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 59 of the 62 campsites the agency files at Cottonwood Campground (CA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 58 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cottonwood Campground (CA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cottonwood Campground (CA). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cottonwood Campground (CA) (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cottonwood Campground (CA), Joshua Tree National Park, California
Dear Alex Padilla, I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at Cottonwood Campground (CA), Joshua Tree National Park, California, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 59 of the 62 campsites the agency files at Cottonwood Campground (CA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 58 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cottonwood Campground (CA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cottonwood Campground (CA). I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cottonwood Campground (CA) (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com