Loved how quiet and small this campground is, and how much privacy the sites have. Many of the sites have river access, which was lovely in the heat. Downsides - water is close to the entrance, so a bit of a haul, no cell service, and there wasn’t as much around as we expected (no trails from the campground, etc). We had hope to do the Boulder Cave Trail, but they recently switched to reservation-only and you can’t reserve day-of.

We stayed here one night while passing through. It is in a great location near Mt Rainier for a fraction of the price of closer campgrounds. It was very small, but very lush between sites which made it extremely private. Some spots are right on the river, but don't expect to lounge by it in your chair. There is only a short narrow opening and the riverbank is lush and rocky. We picked the spot at the very end on the roundabout (can't remember the number) and it was extremely private. Was very nice to hear the river throughout the night! Recommend for a night or two, but a bit cramped for anything more. Halfway-roughing it camping. There is a pit toilet, main shared water spigot, and dumpsters.

The Cascades have so many peaks to climb, glaciers to see, and shorter trails. But you have to get deep into the backcountry before you have access to most of them. Cottonwood is a great place to set up camp for a few nights while you spend the days exploring. I recommend seeing horseshoe basin, and if you’re here in the summer, jump in the river! In the hot months, flies can get pretty bad. (Video is from nearby horseshoe basin)

The sites along the river have good privacy, river access, and the sound of the river drowns out the sound of the nearby road as well as other campers. The bathrooms could have been cleaner but about as expected for a vault toilet.