Cottonwood Campground

Cottonwood Campground is a developed, 62-site campground on the park’s southeast side, beside Cottonwood Visitor Center on Pinto Basin Road near the South Entrance. It makes a practical base for the southern desert, Cottonwood Spring and the Lost Palms area; the park’s best-known rock formations are farther north. At roughly 3,000 feet, it is 5–10°F warmer than the northern campgrounds, with little shade and summer highs often above 100°F.

Reservations are required year-round. The 62 sites include three tent-only group sites and two loops of individual sites. Individual sites have paved parking pads, picnic tables and fire rings or grills, though sizes vary and some fit only one vehicle. RVs and trailers fit at selected sites up to 35 feet, but there are no hookups. Potable water, flush toilets, a dump station and an amphitheater are available; there are no showers, camp store or food service, so bring meals and firewood. The park lists no ADA-accessible campsites, though the amphitheater is accessible from Loop A.

A signed route leads about half a mile from camp to Cottonwood Spring. From the spring area, walks include a short wash route toward a dry falls, the 3-mile Mastodon Peak Loop and the 8-mile Lost Palms Oasis round trip.

The spring is linked to earthquake activity, and Cahuilla people used the area for centuries; bedrock mortars and clay ollas remain nearby. Later, it was a water stop for prospectors, miners and teamsters traveling from Mecca toward northern mines. An arrastra, an early gold mill, and the ruins of two later mills remain near the spring.

The campground is known for stargazing, and wildflowers often appear here earlier than at higher elevations in the park. On the spring walk, bighorn sheep sometimes visit the wash early in the day; in wet years its normally dry falls may carry water. The open loops suit people who want a desert night sky, but sound can carry between campsites and the southern location means a longer drive to northern attractions.