Cottonwood Spring

Cottonwood Spring is a compact oasis in Joshua Tree’s southern section, where fan palms and native cottonwoods cluster in a rocky wash. A short, easy dirt path leads from the parking area to the palms, making it a worthwhile brief stop even if you aren’t setting out on a hike. It’s about seven miles from the southern entrance via Cottonwood Spring Road. The same trailhead starts the longer Mastodon Peak Loop and Lost Palms Oasis Trail.

The easy walk down Cottonwood Wash continues past a second oasis to a dry falls. The falls are usually dry; in wet years they can carry rushing water, and red-spotted toads may appear. The spring itself is compact, so you can turn back after the palms or keep going for the wash and falls.

Earthquake activity formed the spring. Cahuilla people used it for centuries, and bedrock mortars and clay ollas remain in the area. A gold claim filed in 1875 is the earliest known written mention of the spring. Later, prospectors, miners and teamsters traveling from Mecca toward mines to the north relied on its water. An arrastra, an early gold mill, remains nearby, and concrete ruins mark the sites of two later mills.

Cottonwood trees are native here. Fan palms first appear in records around 1920; a bird or coyote may have brought their seeds. That mix of palms and leafy cottonwoods stands out against the rocky desert wash.

This is one of the park’s best birding spots, and you don’t need a long hike to enjoy it. Bighorn sheep often come up the wash for water in the early hours, though a sighting is never guaranteed.

For the spring itself, stay with the short, easy wash path. The trailhead also begins the 3-mile Mastodon Peak Loop and the 8-mile round-trip Lost Palms Oasis Trail. Visitors describe the longer routes as sandy or rocky with ups and downs; their effort is separate from the brief oasis walk.

The spring’s listed facilities include auto parking, an information kiosk, a hiker register and trash receptacles. A restroom or drinking-water tap isn’t listed at the spring. Cottonwood Campground is a separate stop about half a mile away by signed trail; its own listed facilities include water, restrooms and shaded picnic tables. No food service is listed at the spring, so plan ahead if you’re continuing onto a longer route.