Cottonwood Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map

Cottonwood Campground is part of Big Bend National Park in Texas (4 hrs 13 min southwest of Odessa, TX) with an elevation of 2,129 feet. Cottonwood Campground is rated 4.6 stars from 564 reviews. There are a total of 28 campsites including 1 tent-only site. The campground is open all year. 27 sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 22 and 40 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Fees range from $16.00 to $60.00. Some amenities include picnic table, restroom, trash dumpster, and amphitheater. Activities include boating, fishing, hiking trails and floating sports.

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A maximum of two motor vehicles, one vehicle with a trailer, one motorhome with tow vehicle or four motorcycles allowed per campsite. A maximum of four tents OR one wheeled camping unit and one tent allowed per campsite. Only 1 conversion van or other type of recreational vehicle allowed per site. Two (2) conversion vans or RVs require 2 campsites.

NOTE: These alerts were current on the reservation website as of 5 minutes ago.

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (577)

4.6 out of 5

5 star		70%
4 star		17%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

@MichaelD829846 · Camped on Apr 20, 2026 at Campsite #13

Campground was adequate but that's all. Could use some upgrades.

@MarcusH9328015 · Camped on Apr 18, 2026 at Campsite #17

Really cool area with lots of wildlife. We saw two different groups of javelinas and some wild horses. Great experience!

@MarkS8760847 · Camped on Apr 16, 2026 at Campsite #27

Stayed at site 23. So peaceful and quiet.

@CharleneMA80E2 · Camped on Apr 13, 2026 at Campsite #21

This is a big dry open field with dry vegetation and VERY FEW trees. VERY hot and no way to escape the heat. Lots of construction visitor center not open.

@SimonK94FC466D · Camped on Apr 13, 2026 at Campsite #25

We enjoyed our stay, but it definitely doesn't look like the pictures anymore. There was a fire, and a lot of the trees are dead. The only trees it has now are mesquite with thorns. We had to first clean all the fallen thorns and branches before setting up our tent. We still enjoyed it; the people were very friendly.

@KaciT248742439 · Camped on Apr 12, 2026 at Campsite #19

Cottonwood is a quiet campground compared to Chisos Basin. There are only pit toilets but the nearby visitor center has a bathroom with running water. If you are expecting heavy rain during your trip, please be warned that the group campsite may flood as well as site 17 (this was our experience), but other than that, we would stay here again. You are close to Santa Elena and about an hour drive to Chisos Basin, Panther Junction, and Terlingua and there is plenty of space at each site for multiple tents.

@JamesH5225020 · Camped on Apr 11, 2026 at Campsite #9

The park was beautiful and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

@JohnnyLE4133F3 · Camped on Apr 8, 2026 at Campsite #21

What have you done?! Dead trees, dead grass, bare dirt, no nod to the history of the cottonwoods. Sad. No plan in place to replace the trees that died and that you killed? Incompetence or mismanagement? Both? Get it together. Also, pit toilets were maxed out. Need new management at Big Bend!

@DanH6147433 · Camped on Apr 7, 2026 at Campsite #6

Terrific campground. Clean. Quiet. Well-managed.

@WilliamG690099 · Camped on Apr 6, 2026 at Campsite #20

Great location. Small cg. Bring water. Was able to book reservation for last available cs. Site okay, but there were plenty of spots. This is a systemic problem with Recreation.gov

@abrahamfBCE53E · Camped on Apr 2, 2026 at Campsite #16

We were disappointed that any cottonwoods that may have been growing in the area apparently burned within the last few years. Also, although there are signs warning you that low-lying parts of the campground may be flooded by irrigation, it doesn't look like it's been irrigated in a long time. There was no grass. This is all in contrast to some photos that are around, showing green grass and leafy trees. But there are decent areas for pitching tents. There are some sparse large mesquites that cast some shade. The parking spot was level for our van. The other sites in general look fairly level. We appreciate that there was a campground in this remote location, and enjoyed visiting the Castolon Historic District and Santa Elena Canyon (and a couple of other interesting sites) without having to do a ton of driving. The bathrooms were decent (vault toilets, toilet paper, hand sanitizer in dispensers), and there is a campground host who checks on things a bit. There are trash and recycling bins. The picnic table was in good shape, as was the charcoal grill. A note about the grill - you can't lower the grate, so you need to use a lot of charcoal to generate enough heat to cook. If you could lower the grill, then fewer coals would be enough to cook a few items. I didn't verify this myself, but I heard there is a potable water spigot at one end of the campground (near the entrance), and the spigot at the far end (near where we camped) was signed as non-potable. If there are any hiking or walking trails accessible at this campground, I didn't see any signs for them. There's a little store in Castolon, a short drive (probably not a great walk along the road) away. Dawn was really pretty. I recorded seven bird species in a minute with the Merlin app around sunrise. I would camp here again if the plan is to do a bit of hiking in the area. It's certainly not a destination on its own.

@CarterL40D3D63 · Camped on Apr 2, 2026 at Campsite #A

The campsite was amazing. Super large and with 3 boxes for storage. 10 minutes away from Santa Elena Canyon! Such a pretty place and nice watcher of the sight. Very friendly. Bathrooms were nice and such a stunning national park. 40 minutes to the basin and 1.25 hours from the hot springs

@MarkH6047851 · Camped on Mar 30, 2026 at Campsite #14

Beautiful location and very tidy restrooms. I'm sad that most of the namesake cottonwoods were cut down and there's less shade available.

@PatrickW387339 · Camped on Mar 24, 2026 at Campsite #12

Hot week but it was shady here. Open and quiet.

@CharlesW117121 · Camped on Mar 22, 2026 at Campsite #15

Very quiet and peaceful location. Short walk to view the river! Close to great trails! Well maintained.

@GeneZF1F07E137 · Camped on Mar 21, 2026 at Campsite #20

Excellent

@KateK3318494 · Camped on Mar 19, 2026 at Campsite #27

We camped one night mid March and there wasn't much shade at the campground. There was a vermillion flycatcher at the campsite and lots of open sky for star gazing. It's easy to get to Santa Elena canyon 7 miles down the road and a great hike in the morning before it gets too busy.

@VibranceP351B6 · Camped on Mar 18, 2026 at Campsite #24

This campground wasnt very interesting, but it was decent and worked as a place to camp for the night and get to Santa Elena canyon early. Unfortunately, our stay was disrupted by noisy campers getting up at 5am to leave and yelling loudly next to us.

@HannahE4280169 · Camped on Mar 14, 2026 at Campsite #8

I loved it here! Though its a far drive to just about anywhere, it had what we needed. Beautiful sunsets. The wind did get really bad for us here, and theres not much of anything to block the wind so we did have to put our tent down. But it was okay and we made the most of it! I will definitely check out one of the other campsites next time I visit, but this one was perfect for the 3 nights we stayed here.

@JARRISW8B0B392 · Camped on Mar 13, 2026 at Campsite #22

Mark the Cottonwood park Ranger made our stay very special.

@DavidB5075483 · Camped on Mar 12, 2026 at Campsite #4

The proximity to Santa Elena Canyon and the beauty of the surroundings along with the small campground & facilities were excellent.

@CarestinT377F2 · Camped on Mar 9, 2026 at Campsite #10

Beautiful stay and amazing views! My family and I throughly enjoyed our first ever camping trip here at the Cottonwood campsite. Our site was clean and perfect for our large tent!

@AllisonP572676 · Camped on Mar 8, 2026 at Campsite #25

Beautiful view from campsite. Close to the river. Dogs not allowed on hiking trails.

@BelyndaWBB3EC2 · Camped on Mar 8, 2026 at Campsite #21

The location is everything. Very close to Santa Elena Canyon, plus many hikes and overlooks on the way to and from the campground. Also, easy to walk to the Rio Grande and see Mexico a few feet away. Birds were great - woodpeckers, vermillion flycatchers, ravens, and doves comfortable enough to walk right up into the campsite. Easy rectangle campground, simple to navigate and walk. We found it noisy - children playing and people talking, it was almost like eating in a restaurant with people seated at nearby tables during dinner. Filtered water was available at a station near the entrance, and non-potable water spigots were located every few sites. Two bathroom areas featured pit toilets. Showers and power are not available here, as expected.

@KatieC9331305 · Camped on Mar 7, 2026 at Campsite #29

Cottonwood Campground has a much more scenic/private feel than other campsites at Big Bend. It is quiet and serene. Make sure to talk to the Rangers at Castolon (If Dorinda is there, she is an excellent resource!!). Santa Elena's canyon is also nearby and a can't miss stop. This campsite is quite a drive away from the Chisos Basin and Rio Grande Village, so prepare appropriately.

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Cottonwood Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map

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Cottonwood

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (577)

4.6 out of 5

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