Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX)

Cottonwood is a little off the beaten path (about an hour, to be exact) but the scenic drive makes the trek pleasant. The campgrounds were very quiet​ and the night sky was gorgeous!

Great site. Plan to camp in a small gravel pad Or call ahead for the schedule as they sometimes flood the grassy areas early in the morning for irrigation purposes. Very weak cell service near the entrance. None at my campsite. The pulloff at the Chimney Trail head - a few miles prior to Cottonwood has 4 bars signal and is a good place to stop on the way in (on Ross Maxwell drive) if cell service is needed. Good clean toilet areas. Water designated as non potable (I was told by park representative) is in fact chlorinated so can be used for rinsing.

We were there the first day of opening for two nights. Cottonwood is awesome - been there many times in our younger days. A squadron of javelinas came into a vacant area of the campground right across from us for 10 to 15 minutes. Tiny baby to big papa. Owls during the day, serenades by coyotes at night, a number of beautiful birds, up close visits by the ever friendly roadrunners. The Rangers were very non-intrusive but came by several times to inform us and make sure everything was going OK in the campground. An overall wonderful experience.

The grounds are clean and well maintained. Bathrooms clean and well stocked. The park rangers polite and friendly.
The problem I had was with the guests being loud after dark, and running a generator at night (which I understand is not permitted).

As a minimalist tent camper, I had enjoyed the Cottonwood campground numerous times in the past. This Thanksgiving week, 2020, was horrible. Numerous big-rig campers and trailers arrived well after dark, after bedtime, and took hours of banging, clanking, repeated horn honking, kids running and screaming, dogs running and barking till the wee hours of the morning. Isn't there some cut off for arrival time and "end of party" ? I packed up and left the next morning.

I would rank it the best in the park, although call ahead if you can to see the last time they irrigated, because this will change where you will put your tent. We had road runners, vermilion flycatcher‘s, and javelina near our site, and although the Javelina can bother you for food we do not experience this problem. Make sure you were careful if you put your tents on the raised area in the campsite, as we had an ant he’ll, and hours and several ants crawling my wife‘s shoes. This campsite is very close to Santa Elena Canyon, as well as several hikes in the park, but if you want to do the longer hikes in the basin it is an hour drive. And because parking is crowded you need to leave at least 45 minutes before sunrise in order to get a spot at trails such as lost Mine trail. Overall I think this was a really great place to stay during our visit, but my wife and I both agree, that it would be best to do two days in Cottonwood campground, and then one or two days in the basin for a great experience.

Camp volunteer was great. Can't remember his name.

A really pretty campground! Lots of trees and shade. The spots are pretty spread out too. A good spot if you’re wanting to do the Santa Elena Canyon Trail.

The campground is very spacious! Traveling in November, we enjoyed the warmer temperatures than in the Basin. Also, grassy fields make setting up the tent very easy. The bathrooms are very clean and we enjoyed our private picnic table and grill. There was a water spout for non-drinking water right next to our spot and drinking water close-by.
Driving into the basin takes about 45+ minutes. The Santa Elena Canyon is close and we will try the river activities next time.

It was a great site, very quiet.