ItOpened Guides · Joshua Tree National Park
How to actually get a site at Cottonwood Campground (Ca) — the verified facts, the release reality, and the cancellation route in.
Overview Download the NPS app prior to visiting the park – trail maps and more! 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. To get the most out of your visit Plan Like a Park Ranger 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.
| Total sites | 62 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Standard, RV, Tent only |
| Site mix (directory count) | Standard 50 · RV 6 · Tent only 3 |
| Area | Joshua Tree National Park |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
| Nearest community | Twentynine Palms, CA |
| Activities | Camping, Day Use Area, Hiking, Interpretive Programs, Wildlife Viewing |
| Directory phone | 760-367-5554 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov campground page |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
Cottonwood Campground (Ca) is reserved through Recreation.gov, on the release pattern stated in its official listing. In demand, reservable sites are claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the campground reads as sold out for most of the year, and why the realistic route in is rarely the release itself.
Sites booked months ahead get cancelled as trips fall through, and each cancellation returns its nights to the official calendar instantly — first-come, no waitlist, no announcement. ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Cottonwood Campground (Ca) around the clock; when a site matching your dates and vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link, and you book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell. The mechanics are the same ones documented in how campsite cancellations actually work.
Watch more than one calendar. These nearby or same-area campgrounds take the same trip — and their cancellations are independent chances:
| Jumbo Rocks Campground | 124 sites · same area |
|---|---|
| Indian Cove Campground | 114 sites · same area |
| Black Rock Campground | 99 sites · same area |
| Ryan Campground | 37 sites · same area |
| Black Rock Equestrian Campground | 21 sites · same area |
Full directory facts and sibling campgrounds: Cottonwood Campground (Ca) campground page · Joshua Tree National Park park page.
Every figure in this article traces to one of the sources above. If a number isn't sourced, we don't print it.
Last updated 2026-10-30.