Cottonwood Campground (CA)

Online booking was very convenient and allowed me to book campsites in advance. The campsite was excellent and the availability of water was essential as we were cycling through the park. We hiked one of the local trails and attended the evening Interpretive program. Overall, it was a very pleasant stay.

It would have been great but the people in the campground across from us were partying until 2:30 in the morning. We had to pick up our camp and move to another available site to get away from the loud music.

It would have been great but the people in the campground across from us were partying until 2:30 in the morning. We had to pick up our camp and move to another available site to get away from the loud music.

This is supposed to be a dark sky park. RV campers persistently had outside lights on at night. Rules regarding the size of RV's were not enforced. There were many long 5th wheel trailers with side outs open that encroached the narrow right of way through the sites.

Our place at the campground was like a parking spot in front of the bathroom and that’s it. Our pickup camper, 20 feet long, almost didn’t fit. Glad we only spend one night there. No soap and no paper to wash our hands.

This is supposed to be a dark sky park. RV campers persistently had outside lights on at night. Rules regarding the size of RV's were not enforced. There were many long 5th wheel trailers with side outs open that encroached the narrow right of way through the sites.

Our place at the campground was like a parking spot in front of the bathroom and that’s it. Our pickup camper, 20 feet long, almost didn’t fit. Glad we only spend one night there. No soap and no paper to wash our hands.

Great campground, roads can be a little narrow

Great campground, roads can be a little narrow

The Cottonwood CG is a good base to experience the Colorado Desert portions of JTree, but every day the motor-homes with GENERATORS in the campground shattered the peace and quiet from first light throughout the morning hours. If there are any generator-free quiet hours, they aren't posted or enforced. NPS can and should do better! We usually like to camp INSIDE the national parks to avoid the dirtbikes, generators, drones and other noisy motorized gizmos that are increasingly common outside JTree's boundaries. But the people who feel it's ok to run their generators at all hours seemingly without any remorse kinda ruin it for the rest of us. The Mastodon Loop trail was nice, but we ran into multiple individuals and groups that were "lost." The "trail" can, for some, be challenging to follow. One sunburned thirsty fellow said "It's really easy to get turned around out there." We had little trouble following the route, but we are experienced wilderness rangers. If you are not experienced at route-finding and following faint trails, our advice: take it slow, pay attention, carry a map (and know how to use it), don't rely on your phone to guide you, etc.