Cottonwood Campground (CA)

You need a two day stay to fully enjoy Joshua Tree National Park. Cottonwood Campground was a great place to stay. Very quiet except during the 3 allowed RV generator periods. Bathrooms were clean and Ranger staff were visibly present.

You need a two day stay to fully enjoy Joshua Tree National Park. Cottonwood Campground was a great place to stay. Very quiet except during the 3 allowed RV generator periods. Bathrooms were clean and Ranger staff were visibly present.

The reservation system for this park was hard to use. When I booked my spot 5 months before the trip I was unable to get a spot in loop A which was my preferred loop because the loop was supposedly closed for a redo of the electrical hook ups. I had to book a spot in one of the other loops but when I arrived at the park I found that A loop was in full use. Such a disappointment!!

Quiet, nice view at the campground, but the "pull thru" site was just a wide spot in the narrow camp road. We only put our slide out part way, same as others, and pulled it in at night. 27' 5th wheel. Also learned that in the main part of the park, the parking lots have very limited, if any, parking spots to accomodate trailer+tow vehicle. But, there's no where to drop the trailer for the day while you explore the park. So, on the day you are checking out, you can't really explore the park for the rest of the day.

Always great to visit this spot! It’s always nice and quiet and the stars are always quite the site! The coyotes never fail to wake me up at least once per visit.

The reservation system for this park was hard to use. When I booked my spot 5 months before the trip I was unable to get a spot in loop A which was my preferred loop because the loop was supposedly closed for a redo of the electrical hook ups. I had to book a spot in one of the other loops but when I arrived at the park I found that A loop was in full use. Such a disappointment!!

Quiet, nice view at the campground, but the "pull thru" site was just a wide spot in the narrow camp road. We only put our slide out part way, same as others, and pulled it in at night. 27' 5th wheel. Also learned that in the main part of the park, the parking lots have very limited, if any, parking spots to accomodate trailer+tow vehicle. But, there's no where to drop the trailer for the day while you explore the park. So, on the day you are checking out, you can't really explore the park for the rest of the day.

Always great to visit this spot! It’s always nice and quiet and the stars are always quite the site! The coyotes never fail to wake me up at least once per visit.

Best time to be here is on the weekdays. Weekends the campground is full of young groups who come to party, BUT they do turn it off by 10 pm. I am happy to see kids out enjoying camping and nature, but weekends are much louder and smokefilled than the weekdays. Beautiful location, hikes to Mastodon peak and Palm Oasis are good day walks. It is very far from anything else in the park, but we love it that way.

The facility has everything a camper needs but there are some limitations. I do not recommend the pull through sites because they have a slight slope and are not comfortably wide if you have a slide out on the drivers side.