Picnic area · Joshua Tree National Park
Covered tables make this a useful meal stop in the southern park.
Overview
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Joshua Tree Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Joshua Tree National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
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Cottonwood Picnic Area and Campground“You're coming up on Cottonwood Picnic Area and Campground, a handy meal break in the southern part of the park. Bring your lunch to the covered day-use tables; there are grills and drinking water here too.”
Plays as you drive up to Cottonwood Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.
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Guide
Cottonwood Picnic Area is a day-use picnic spot inside Cottonwood Campground, near Joshua Tree’s South Entrance and Cottonwood Spring. It’s off Pinto Basin Road. I’d use it as a practical break if you’re exploring the park’s southern end; the covered tables and grills sit among scattered small trees and shrubs.
The picnic area has potable water, flush restrooms, including accessible restrooms, auto parking and trash receptacles. No food service is listed for this spot, so bring your meal and use the grills if you want to cook.
The picnic area is a separate day-use stop beside Cottonwood’s reservable group campsites and its 62-site overnight campground. The campground’s reservation details are for overnight sites; the park doesn’t list separate booking rules or hours for the picnic area.
Wildlife
129 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
413 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
275 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
47 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
32 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Joshua Tree. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingConejo Well Trail13.6 mi · 8.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA remote desert roadbed to Conejo Well, with hard navigation.
EasyMoorten’s Mill Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 0.5 mi awayFollow Cottonwood Wash to a five-stamp mill site.
ModerateCottonwood Spring and Mastodon Peak Loop2.4 mi · 2 hr · 0.5 mi awayA 2.4-mile loop through bouldery canyons and old mine ruins.
EasyCottonwood Spring Nature Trail0.2 mi · 15 min · 0.6 mi awayFan palms and a Cahuilla mortar, a few minutes from the lot.
ChallengingLost Palms Oasis Trail7.5 mi · 4 hr · 0.6 mi awayA long desert hike ends at palms tucked below a rocky bluff.
EasyBajada Nature Trail0.3 mi · 18 min · 4.4 mi awayA short, flat loop through Colorado Desert plant life.
Campground · 0.1 mi awayCottonwood CampgroundDark-sky camping with a signed path to Cottonwood Spring.Sight · 0.6 mi awayCottonwood SpringPalm oasis, Cahuilla mortars and gold-mill remains, steps from the road.
Visitor center · 0.6 mi awayCottonwood Visitor CenterMaps, drinking water, and ranger advice make this a useful first stop.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayMastodon MineA close-up look at mining history on the Mastodon Peak loop.
Sight · 3.7 mi awayLost Palms OasisA rare palm oasis, reached only after a long desert hike.
Sight · 4.8 mi awaySouth Entrance Welcome SignA wooden welcome sign against the Colorado Desert and rocky peaks.Parkwolf’s Joshua Tree ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
