Cottonwood Campground, near Twentynine Palms, California, is a fantastic base for exploring [Joshua Tree National Park](https://thedyrt.com/camping/california/near/joshua-tree-national-park). This campground offers a unique desert experience with sites that come equipped with picnic tables and fire pits, perfect for evening gatherings under the stunning night sky.

Visitors often rave about the beautiful mountain views and the peaceful atmosphere. The campground is known for its clean facilities, including flush toilets and potable water, making it a comfortable spot for campers. One reviewer highlighted, “Beautiful landscape, so quiet,” which captures the essence of this serene location.

For those eager to hit the trails, Cottonwood Campground is conveniently located near several hiking paths, with some starting right from the campground. While you won’t find Joshua Trees here, the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets are worth the visit. As one camper noted, “Great dark skies! Great scenic drives! Great sunsets!” 

Keep in mind that the sites can be a bit tight, especially for larger RVs, but the overall vibe and proximity to the park’s attractions make it a worthwhile stop. Whether you're stargazing or enjoying a campfire, Cottonwood Campground offers a memorable desert getaway.

## Overview

 Download the [NPS app][1] prior to visiting the park trail maps and more! Cottonwood Group Campground is one of the best places in Joshua Tree National Park for stargazing and wildflower viewing. The group campground is part of the main Cottonwood Campground and has three sites that are by reservation only. It is one of three group campgrounds in the park and the only campground that lies in the southern section. To get the most out of your visit [Plan Like a Park Ranger][2] Travelers who enjoy warm, dry winters flock to Joshua Tree from October through May, when temperatures reach between 70 to 90-degrees during the day and drop to 40 to 60-degrees at night. Summer is the park's off-season due to the uncomfortably high desert heat. Cottonwood Group Campground is at an elevation of 3,000 ft. and has little shade from vegetation; however, there are picnic shelters that provide shade at each site. 
## Recreation

 Stargazing and wildflower viewing are among the most popular activities at this facility. Several hiking trails leave from the campground and several more trailheads are within a 1-2 hour drive.
## Facilities

 There are three group sites, each with a picnic shelter. There are no electrical hookups, and RVs and habitable trailers are prohibited. Drinking water and flush toilets are provided.
## Natural Features

 The landscape around Cottonwood is that of the Colorado Desert, which encompasses the southern edge of the park and a large portion of Southern California. Rather than being surrounded by large rock formations and uniquely-shaped Joshua trees, like campgrounds in the northern section, this facility overlooks flat, open-desert shrubland. It is also further from towns or cities that would contribute light pollution. As a result, it offers wide, dark and uninterrupted views of the night sky that draw astronomers and amateur sky watchers alike. Cottonwood is at a lower elevation than other campgrounds within the park, so desert wildflowers begin to bloom earlier in the spring than in other locations. Flowering occurs anytime between the beginning of February to the end of March; timing varies depending on the amount of winter precipitation and the arrival of warm temperatures. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The General Patton Memorial Museum, a U.S. military history museum, is just over 12 miles away in the town of Chiriaco.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Reservation Cancellations & Changes Cancelling a Reservation: Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation (see below). Changing an Existing Reservation: When changes are made prior to the cut-off window: If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee. There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes dates from the original reservation. If they choose to depart early, they may forfeit the recreation fee for the day of departure. There is no change fee if the customer wants to switch sites that are the same price with the same reservation dates in the same facility. If a reservation is made that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window, that reservation cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the original booking date. Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window Group Facility : Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. No-Shows Overnight Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out (noon) time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (noon) on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first nights recreation fee for a campsite. \*Note: the entire reservation will be cancelled for no-shows. 

[1]: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm
[2]: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/jotrtop10.htm

Cottonwood Campground — Joshua Tree National Park

Mecca is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Mecca, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Mecca. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.

Mecca

The Best Camping Near Mecca, California

This is a first-come, first-served site one of the few in Joshua Tree with flush toilets and water! This is typically the last campground in the park to fill because it's a bit further away from any civilization than all the others. Also at an elevation of only 3,000 ft (914 m) and being in the southeastern section of the park it's the only site in the Colorado Desert which is dominated by the abundant creosote bush. Adding interest to this arid land are small stands of spidery ocotillo and cholla cactus. Which is a nice visual difference from all the Joshua Trees.

Excellent site if you want to have water available and would like to be able to see the stars at night without the pollution of a town like at Black Rock canyon campground.

Much more remote and secluded while being excellent sites.

We staying during Spring break (March 2016).  The group sites are spacious and include a number of areas to pitch all tent sizes.  We were within walking distance of the visitor's center but it remained quiet.  The bathrooms were clean and a number of water locations provided.  Parking was ample.

Cottonwood Group 01 (Joshua Tree National Park

The southern part of Joshua tree is the quieter end of the park (especially in the summer). We got up to watch the sunrise and didn't see another car for 2 HOURS. 

The campground is sandy and dusty (as is the whole park since it's a desert), and each site has a concrete picnic table and a fire ring. Unlike most of Joshua Tree's campground, Cottonwood does have a water point (and flushing toilets)-- and it is just down the road from the Cottonwood Visitor Center (a very basic ranger station that also has bathrooms -- but no fancy gift shop of cafes like some other NPs)

Cottonwood is a great site if you are coming in from Palm Springs/Palm Desert/Coachella and you want to spend an incredible night under the stars. It's just 7 miles off of I-10, but there aren't any cities around so there isn't any distracting light in the sky.  Also, because there aren't any cities around, bring whatever food and fuel you need. It's 40+ miles out of the park heading north to get gas, so make sure you get gas in Indio or Coachella when driving in. 

Cottonwood is 20$ a night, (the other campgrounds without water are $15). During the summer sites are first come, and there were plenty to choose from -- There were only 3 other campers we saw there.  Rumor is that this site is also last to fill up in the busy months because it is much further out of the way from the other campgrounds. Don't forget to fill up your water jugs before you leave if you're headed north deeper into the park.

If you want to make the Mastodon Peak hike (3 miles) or do the Lost Palms Oasis Trail (8 miles) this is best place to stay for an early morning start. I was lazy, and opted for a drive to the Cholla Cactus Garden, and a walk around the nature path.

There's not much privacy between sites since there aren't any trees -- and also no places to hang hammocks without some creativity.

Quiet Camping near Joshua Tree's Southern Entrance

We stayed in group campground G01, which is the one closest to the road. It was spacious and offered 2 sheltered picnic areas and 2 fire pits, and was a short jaunt (crossing the next campground) to the restrooms (which had flush toilets!). It was a definite bonus to have running water as well! G01 is situated in a way that tents can be spread out and as communal or as secluded as you'd like (not counting the road).
The campground is close to hiking and the Twin Palms Oasis loop is nearby as well! Be aware that this campground is NOT near the large rock formations in J.Tree but it is very convenient for large groups :)

Cottonwood Group camp G01

I stayed in Joshua tree for 2 nights and this was the first campground for the first night. The campground had no shade and was pretty warm in the 90 degree heat. I arrived there around 5 in the evening and there was a majority of the campgrounds left. I didn't make a reservation and still managed to get a spot but it was a risky move.

The night was pretty chilly and had a pretty nice breeze. The restroom was about a one minute walk and was pretty clean. At night the campground had quite a lot of kangaroo rats running through trying to look for food. Asides from the heat the site was pretty good.

Amazing campground

Went on overnight trip with the Astronomy Department of my College. Two sites comfortably fit 20+ people and the large sunshaded eating areas were great for food prep and socializing.

Cottonwood Group Sites

This campground was away from the primary campground like Jumbo Rock and therefore less crowded. Campsites included fire ring and picnic table. Flush toilets on premises and away from primary sites. Tent sites were very close together and as we found or a very popular site for star gazing and meteror showers. Required aunt of a drive to get into the primary park area and firewood not available in campgrounds (Walmart is the closest location it was available). Camp hosts were very nice however did not enforce quiet hours. We camp with our daughter (5 at the time) and unfortunately we were surrounded by many college students drinking heavily (not Joshua Trees fault). We ended up leaving a day early because of this. Aside from the other campers we had a good desert camping experience. I think next time we would try a different site to attempt to be more secluded and avoid this issue in the future.

Away from primary Joshua Tree camping areas

A great spot to camp! We were only there briefly, but it had everything we needed. Very well kept, a good fire pit, a picnic table and plenty of space for tents and parking

Lovely Camp Site

Cottonwood is the furthest south campground in the park, and was the only camp that had space. It's extremely clean and spacious. There are hiking trails just off the campground. The restrooms don't have showers or lights.

Great place right off I-10

Nearly the southernmost location of Joshua Tree Natl Park. ~1 hr drive to the main area of the park (north side). A few hikes near Cottonwood Campground. 

Southern Joshua Tree

Went here over Christmas school break stayed here two nights, there are 3 group sites here. Nice spaces with flash toilets and running water. There are several parking spots or each group site. While we were there we had several people park in the empty spots and sleep in their cars cause they didn’t have reservations, also during the day random people just show up and use the empty picnic tables at your site.

Christmas camping 

We just got back from a weekend at Cottonwood Campground. This was an awesome campground. It’s super clean, paved, has potable water and running toilets. We had a scouting troop with us ages 5-12 and the girls had a blast. We hiked 3 miles locally and the terrain was amazing. Looked like Pixar’s Cars Land. Then we took a drive over to Skull Rock for some rock scrambling, and even made it all the way over to the visitor center at the north entrance before heading back for dinner. Afterwards we topped it off with a Ranger chat at the campground amphitheater where a local astronomer showed up and gave an amazing talk about the stars complete with astronomer pointer and telescope where we got to see Saturn! The girls LOVED it! We plan on coming back and hitting a northern campground - but definitely recommend Cottonwood. It won’t disappoint - the star viewing was awesome!! 

Amazing for gazing at stars!

Unfortunately did not get to spend a lot of time on this campsite as we just used it as an overnight stop on a road trip out to Utah, but we did enjoy the site a lot.  Reservations filled up about a month in advance, but several of the sites were not occupied.  Water was a little tricky to find at first because it was tucked next to a campsite that had an RV parked out front.

  

Wildflowers were blooming all around in mid-spring.  Nights were cool but not too cold, and heat during the day wasn't too bad yet in the spring.  There were several hikes available near the campsite.

  

Easy access to the 10 freeway made this a great road trip stop but with the added benefit of experiencing a national park.

Easy Desert Camping in a NP

Amazing

We stayed June  6, 2019. We were driving cross country and wanted to see this national park along the way. This was the tail-end of their “peak season” since it is the desert most people visit in the cooler months and avoid it in the summer. We rolled in around 5pm, the ranger station was already closed but we drove on to the campground where there was a self pay station. Plenty of open sites that were not reserved at the time. The sign upon entering says there’s no water within the campground but this is incorrect it must be an old sign. Flush toilets with sinks (no soap or anything to dry your hands just bring your own) also no lights in the bathroom so take your flashlight at night!
Beautiful campground, with lots of desert wildlife!
This is the southern portion of the park so there’s no Joshua Trees here but if you drive through the park northwest then you’ll see the Cholla cactus gardens, Boulder fields, as well as the Joshua Trees!

Gorgeous Sunset views!!!

What a nice campground in Joshua Tree NP. It’s located closer to I-10 and a drive from most of the things to see at the park.
Nice quiet and good spacing between sites.
Flush toilets-bring own soap and towels as none provided. Also no lights at night so carry your own.
Wild coyotes can be heard in the early morning and the moon was beautiful coming over the mountains on our trip.
Drove by the other campsite and noticed how tight the sites were, glad I picked this one.
Definitely will return.

Nice spot in the desert-peaceful 

Beautiful mountain view and desert plants. Cactus were just beginning to bud. Camping spots are a little tight for larger RV's. There was a bit of city glow from Palm Springs so stargazing wasn't as good as we'd hoped. Had great hikes on the many paths. Drove through Joshua Tree National forest, through Cholla and Ocotilla gardens. Saw Skull rock and the fabulous gigantic rock formations. Had a bit of a time getting our 36 ft RV situated so we could extend our slides, and had to park our toad at the bathhouse(only a short distance away), but overall a great two day stay.

Beautiful mountain view - cramped for larger RV's

This campground is located right at the entrance of Joshua Tree, next to the Cottonwood visitor center. There are plenty of sites, especially between September-May when Loop B is open. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table, with about half the sites having a back in parking spot and the rest having parallel pull ins. The bathroom is really well maintained (possibly due to the pandemic). There is also a few potable water spigots.

Cottonwood

I really liked this campground. It’s one of the campground inside Joshua Tree NP and reservable through Recreation.gov. The sites are very private but they are small. Both the pull through and back in sites are small so this is definitely not for big rigs. We had A19 which is a pull through on the right side of the road and we had to go into the gravel part of the site so we would be in enough to open our driver side slide out. And we ended up pretty slanted as a result, but it fit. There are flush toilets that are very clean. This side of the park is very nice but most of the action is north of here and so we’re an hour drive to a lot of the hikes we want to do. No cell service at all. 

Very nice but small sites

this campground is on the Southside of Joshua Tree National Park. You will not see any Joshua Trees here (they are on the Northside) however, it is definitely a spot to check out. You pull up alongside your site, a huge area with a fire pit and a picnic table. A great area to go for a hike and watch the stars at night. Try and get site B13, epic views. 

When Planning a trip through Joshua Tree you will want to spend most of your time on the Northside anywhere between HiddenValley - White Tank Campgrounds. Plan to spend time at skull rock exploring like a child and taking pictures like you are Ansel Adams. Cottonwood Campground is a great, inexpensive stop on the Southside before you leave Joshua Tree. Highly recommended it.... oh and check out the gift shop at the entrance they have a tour guild/hike recommendation area that was super helpful.

Camping in Joshua Tree on the Southside

Really nice little desert campground in the east portion of the park. Sites are pretty tight together. Beautiful night sky viewing. Pit toilets and running water. 

Only east campground in the park

Beautiful campsite. No Joshua Trees on this side of the park, but beautiful sunrise and sunset views. Sites are a bit narrow for big rigs with slides, but we made it happen with our class A super slide. 

Beautiful landscape, so quiet.

Cottonwood Campground is an excellent home base for exploring Joshua Tree NP. There are hiking trails right out of the campground, and easy trails from trailheads within a short drive. You pass the visitor's center on the way in. Sites are narrow and short and unlevel, but you are surrounded by Sonoran desert. Great dark skies! Great scenic drives! Great sunsets!

Best spot for visiting Joshua Tree

No internet or cellphone capability unless you drive back near I-10.

Mind bender

We got a bit unlucky with rain, but would stay on the north side of the park if we did it again.  South side doesn’t have as much going for it comparatively.  Neighbors were loud.  

Nice but could be better.

Nice campground without hookups but flush bathrooms and fresh water.  Sites are kinda small, but we had a backin that fit our 26' trailer easily.  B26. So pick your site carefully.  There is no cellular service, so bring a deck of cards and games.  The sites are paved but need some leveling.  If you choose a pull through, your driver's side slide will be facing the road. Enjoy your stay. 

Photos of Cottonwood Campground — Joshua Tree National Park

Real photos from real campers