Cottonwood Campground

As a mid sized campground, this isn't bad at all with many of the sites offering privacy. The "Reserved/open" indicators are a bit confusing however.

Midweek in July it was, at best, 10% full.

Located with convenient access from Highway 89, the campgrounds and all sites can be easily accessed by any road vehicle. Several motorcycle campers were here during my visit. The sites I saw were all pull in/back in… no pull through. Highway 89 is a two-lane highway, well paved, and plowed in the winter.

A friendly camp host can set you up with a site recommendation and as much firewood as you'd like to buy (current price was $5 for about 10 pieces).

Each campsite has a picnic table, fire ring, and cooking fire enclosure (bricks covered by grate). They do not have bear lockers and the site suggests you store your food in your locked vehicle.

Sites varied in size and proximity to other campers. In mid-summer mid-week, there were less than 10 campers in the whole campground. Every week is different, but most people appeared to have reservations starting on Wednesday, so Monday-Tuesday are very light. There are first-come-first-serve sites, but the ones taking reservations seemed to book up for the weekend.

Sites near Highway 89 will hear road noise during the day and the occasional vehicle at night. Some of these are big logging trucks or diesels, so if you are a light sleeper or looking to get away from society, pick a site closer to the back. In the back, if there was the slightest breeze, I could only hear it blowing through the trees and no road noise. This was a big plus versus other sites in the area which tend to all be very close to the highway.

The campground has towering trees and most sites are very well shaded. This is a big plus versus nearby campgrounds that may have pull-through spaces but also sparse coverage. 

This site is close to civilization. About 2-3 miles North the forest ends and there is a ranger station. Another 2 miles beyond that is the town of Sierraville. The small gas station/grocery store says fuel is available 24/7, advertises propane available, has diesel, and has a modest selection of food and supplies. Definitely enough to help round out your inventory. The town has two cafes but I did not visit and can't confirm if they are still open (one said "for lease" in the Google photo). And of course, about 10-12 miles to the south is Truckee, a very full service town with restaurants, bars, large grocery stores, etc.

For hiking, a very easy 1/2 mile round-trip botanical trail is located at the south end of the campground. It is level, following the creek. Various markers highlight botanical references, but no brochure was available, so download one before you go just in case. The trail goes out about 1/4 mile and then turns back to return on the other side of the creek. It is fully shaded.

An offshoot from the trail takes you up 3/4 miles to the top of a hill overlook - very much worth the exercise and the view. You aren't 'on top of the world', but you have a good view of the valley and some nice breezes. The hike is moderately strenuous but there are plenty of opportunities to stop and catch your breath. It is very well shaded.

If you are looking to burn off a few calories, a campground walk plus botanical trail plus lookout trail loop will get you to about 3 miles total including a good uphill portion to the lookout.

I was here on Memorial Day weekend and it was a fun trip! The sites were well shaded and I felt there was a good amount of distance between the spots. Each campsite allows for one car and you can pay $5 a night for one more car. The camp host was nice too!

I will say there were a lot of families so there were tons of kids running around so do with that what you will!