Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX)

Our site was excellent, with very nice shady trees. Some of the sites have no shade at all and most are not very big. But overall, this campground is excellent. Bathrooms very clean and well stocked. Great hosts who kept a close eye on the campground. We saw LOTS of beautiful birds, including some very enjoyable Roadrunners and a resident owl in Site #5. Santa Elana canyon was wonderful, a highlight of our trip for sure. Low water at this time of year allowed us to hike upstream. Very fun. Bring your water shoes, but we just took off our socks and shoes. Be sure to watch amazing sunsets at Sotol Vista, another highlight of the trip!

Great launching off point for Santa Elena trail. Amazing views from Chisos Basin. Potable water for water bottles.

Cleanest camp toilets I’ve ever used. The experience was downright borderline pleasant! Polite hosts will chat you up. Sites are pretty close to one another without a very clear demarcation of the boundaries but everyone is very friendly. You can hear road noise from the nearby employee residences but it’s not terrible.

Well laid out
Quiet

Great stay at Cottonwood - be aware there is no mobile reception in the area and the NPS periodically irrigates the campground through flooding of low lying areas.

Quiet and clean

If you prefer quiet, this place is much better than RGV. Limited potable water, and put toilets, but no generators, so quiet at night. People who camp there seem more into the peace than at RGV. Picnic tables and food storage boxes, and two pairs of pit toilets is all the infrastructure. Some sites have good shade from the cottonwoods. Sites are nicely spaced but there is little privacy. The lawns are sometimes flooded, so tents had to go up on the parking pad while I was there. A rather long ride to the Chisos, close to Santa Elena.

Despite some damage from a 2019 fire, Cottonwood remains green with lots of birdlife. The host on duty was very vigilant, regularly driving the camping oval to make sure everything was alright. The campground's proximity to Santa Elena canyon, the Castolon Historic District, and some short trails to interesting old farm ruins were its primary attractions to me. I was surprised to get good text and cellphone coverage on some of the hills along the trails! There's filtered water available at the entrance and clean vault toilets toward the rear end of the oval. Some large mature cottonwoods have been cut down and new saplings planted so there's not as much shade as I had hoped for, but Cottonwood's smaller size and remoteness meant it was quiet with its own charm.

clean campground & facilities, super nice rangers, and a quiet area! loved seeing one of the owls that lives at the campground and a road runner.

The campsite was beautiful! Most of the time it was quiet - we really enjoyed our stay & plan to be back.