Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX)

It was a great time. Peaceful campsite. Beautiful park. Will be back.

Good place to camp a few days and see the western part of the park and stargaze in peace and quiet. Currently under construction adding more camping spots to enjoy.

The campground was clean and well maintained. The views are spectacular and it's conveniently located in the park.

Very clean, well taken care of sites. Some construction projects going on which were a bit of an eyesore, but otherwise happy with the experience.

stayed at site #2. Loved the camp ground... except for the construction going on.. and the workers not very considered of driving slow in the park.. kicking up dust... etc.. Camp host was very nice. Irrigation guy was very nice and friendly! We had a wonderful stay and we are looking forward to return next year.

Easy

I'm happy to see the new sites and toilets being built.

Although Cottonwood Campground has less amenities compared to the other two campgrounds at Bid Bend, it is very well placed within the park for the most diverse scenery that is close to the road for easy access on foot, or just to view from your car.
As with all the facilities here, the restrooms are very clean. Do understand, however, that with the charm of a more rustic experience, comes the need to be prepared to deal such things as not having water at your site. Thus necessitating a short walk to a faucet. No internet or power and spotty cellular coverage. If you have solar power capability this is a great place to make use of it.
Bring a means to wash your dishes and pots such as a collapsible or hard sided basin. Something that will allow you to use the recommended technique of making the short walk to the fence line to do the washing. Thus keeping food smells away from your tent site.
This side of the park has some interesting and easy to get to geological features that should not be missed. Drive along the main road until you see something that calls to you, fine a place to pull over and venture out for a one to two mile walk out and back. With the numerous rocky features, so close to the road, that can be reached car from Cottonwood in as little as 5 to 15 minutes, you can plan on a short trip out to a great spot at sunrise, or sunset and still be close to camp.
The one really important consideration to be aware of is that from time to time the famous cottonwood trees will be watered by flooding the grassy low ground around and in between the elevated campsites. This only a problem if you have a tent and choose to set up on the grass and not on the elevated area. Yes there are some small rocks on the elevated area which makes the lower grassy areas very attractive. Driving a tent stake into the ground of the elevated pad is very challenging, but also into some spots on the grass. Have a mallet.

Nice well-maintained campground. Park volunteers made sure everyone was taken care of. I personally had a foot injury and they stopped to check on me (as a solo traveler) during their rounds. Saw javelinas and a pair great horned owls. Love the proximity to the Santa Elena canyon, The quiet and isolation was very peaceful. Woke the last morning to the distant cries of far-away wolves. High recommend

Smallish campground in far corner of Big Bend. Lots of construction going on so very noisy 12 hours a day. After that very quiet. Clean vault toilets. Enjoyed the great horned owls and saw our first vermilion flycatcher.