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Southern California Region
Cottonwood Campground
Cottonwood Campground © Robb Hannawacker, while working for Joshua Tree National Park / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cottonwood Campground © Robb Hannawacker, while working for Joshua Tree National Park / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND
COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND
Cottonwood Oasis Road
Twentynine Palms, California   92277
(lat:33.7426 lon:-115.8149) map location

Phone: 760-367-5500
Cottonwood Campground is one of the best places in Joshua Tree National Park for stargazing and wildflower viewing. Easy access from Interstate 10, makes it a popular stopover for travelers. Visitors 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 however, reservations are required year-round. Cottonwood Campground is at an elevation of 3,000 ft. and has little shade from vegetation.

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. 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.The General Patton Memorial Museum, a U.S. military history museum, is just over 12 miles away in the town of Chiriaco.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 one to two hour drive.
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Location
Cottonwood Campground is located near Mecca, Cathedral City and Indio


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Directions
The park headquarters address is not the physical address of the campground. To get to the campground, take Interstate 10 to the I-10 exit 168 Mecca/Twentynine Palms exit and follow signs to Joshua Tree National Park. The exit is 25 miles east of Indio, California.

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California
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California State Parks

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