Cottonwood Campground

Cottonwood is a small developed campground in the western corner of Big Bend, near the Castolon Historic District, Santa Elena Canyon, and the end of Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Its 22 sites make it a quiet, remote base for exploring this side of the park. There are 21 individual sites and one group site. Reservations are required; there is no first-come camping. The campground is open November 1 through April 30 and closes for the summer heat from May through October.

The individual sites have picnic tables and charcoal grills. There are vault toilets, potable water, food lockers, trash collection, a camp store, and ice. It is dry camping, with no hookups, dump station, showers, or generators; wood and ground fires are prohibited, so use the above-ground charcoal grills. The campground has no cell service or internet. Check the tap labels before filling up: campers report that some faucets are not potable.

The group site is walk-in tent camping for 9 to 25 people, with vehicle parking in an adjacent area. Two individual sites have flat paved surfaces and a paved route to an accessible vault toilet; most other sites are level. Pets can stay in the campground on a leash, but aren't allowed on park trails.

At 2,100 feet beside the Rio Grande, this is a hot, low-elevation corner of the park. Temperatures normally exceed 100°F from mid-March through August, while cold air settling along the river makes fall and winter evenings relatively cool. Campers value the quiet and dark skies, and report seeing javelina and birds such as vermilion flycatchers and woodpeckers. Those sightings are never guaranteed, but the unhurried setting is part of the appeal.