Cottonwood Campground
Joshua Tree National Park · California · 59 sites
Photos: Recreation.gov
Overview
Cottonwood Campground is a National Park Service campground in Joshua Tree National Park, California, with 59 sites. No shade: open sky at every site. No carrier reports coverage at any site.
0 of 59 sites shaded
59 of 59 sites in full sun
59 of 59 sites with clear sky
Map of the campground
Every site from the Recreation.gov listing. Choose a layer to see it across the campground; tap a site to open it in Roam.
Layers
More in Roam Premium
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Questions
Which sites at Cottonwood Campground are the shadiest?
None. Cottonwood Campground is open sky — bring your own shade.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Cottonwood Campground get the most sun?
Plenty. All 59 sites are open to the south and the sky — easy for solar panels, and warm on cool mornings.
See the tree canopy in RoamWill Starlink work at Cottonwood Campground?
Easy here. All 59 sites have open sky for a Starlink dish. Satellite texting on a phone needs less open sky, but still works best from the most open spot you can find. This is our estimate from tree heights — check with the Starlink app's obstruction check when you arrive.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Cottonwood Campground are the most level?
None of the 59 sites is flat, and 5 have a gentle slope most RVs can level with blocks; 54 are steeper, better for tents. Sites that take RVs or trailers fit rigs up to 48 ft.
See the slope at each site in RoamDoes Cottonwood Campground have cell service?
Not really. None of T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T reports coverage at any site at Cottonwood Campground, so plan to be offline here. That's the coverage each carrier reports to the FCC, not a measured signal, so under trees or below a ridge it can be weaker.
See the coverage map in RoamWhat’s the weather like at Cottonwood Campground in October?
In October, expect highs around 80°F and lows around 55°F, with about 0.5 inches of rain over the month. Every month’s averages are in Roam Premium.
Open Cottonwood in RoamCampground facts
- Sites
- 59
- Kinds
- 56 for RVs or trailers · 3 tent-only
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 48 ft
- Elevation
- 3,087–3,123 ft
- Every site
- Drive-in · Picnic table · Pets allowed · Campfires allowed · Check-in 12 PM, check-out 12 PM
- Managed by
- National Park Service
- Booking
- Reserve on Recreation.gov
How we know Sources and limits
Shade, sun and Starlink are our estimates from Meta and the World Resources Institute’s canopy-height model (about 2 m pixels, from satellite imagery calibrated with space lidar; CC BY 4.0). From 2 m above each site we trace 72 lines out to 60 m and note the tallest tree in each direction. Shade counts trees overhead, the canopy within 30 m and how much of the afternoon sky is blocked. Sun counts how open the southern sky is. Starlink needs open sky above 35°, with the northern half counted twice because US dishes tilt north, and we keep the best spot within 8 m of the site’s post. The model sees tree heights only, not trunks, buildings or hills, so check with the Starlink app when you arrive.
Slope is the ground at each site’s post over about 4 m, from USGS 3DEP 1 m lidar: level under 2%, gentle to 4% (most rigs level on blocks), sloped to 8% (fine for a tent), steep beyond.
Cell coverage is from the FCC Broadband Data Collection (carrier filings as downloaded May 2026): each site is tested against each carrier’s modelled outdoor 4G/5G coverage. It is what the carriers report, not a measured signal.
Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the campground. Sites and facts are from Recreation.gov’s open data (July 2026). Map imagery: USGS The National Map. Photos: Recreation.gov.
From the campground’s Recreation.gov listing: “There are 62 sites, each with a fire ring and picnic table. There are no electrical hookups. Drinking water and flush toilets are provided. 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.”
Page data as of October 15, 2026. Full source notes are in each layer’s info in the app.