Campsite #A17 at Cottonwood Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Make a Reservation
$35

Campsite #A17

37 reviews
Drive-In 6 people
42 ft Parallel
2 weak
A17
2/26
2/27
Campsite #A17 Features: Drive-In access, Parallel parking, 42-foot driveway, Fire ring w/ Grill, Picnic Table, RV Site, Tent Site, Pets Allowed

Campsite Reviews (25)

4.0 out of 5

5 star
48%
4 star
32%
3 star
4%
2 star
12%
1 star
4%

@LindaD7786634 · Camped on Jan 6, 2026 at Campsite #A17
Campground hosts at Cottonwood Campground were fabulous.
T-Mobile
No Service
@NatalieS439488 · Camped on Dec 31, 2025 at Campsite #A17
Great stargazing, Don the camp host's hospitality was off the charts and his dog was so sweet. The bathrooms are nice thanks to the camp hosts, just no electricity. There was potable water and a gas station with firewood about 25 minutes away. We went on a cool night hike towards the oasis. The campground is at least 40 minutes from the main park attractions but we didn't mind the beautiful drive and being far from the crowds. It's our tradition to go around and pick up trash on our last day at the campsite, leave it better than you found it!
AT&T
No Service
@FabianCF2DEFD8 · Camped on Aug 13, 2025 at Campsite #A17
Phenomenal location. Lavatories and trash cans readily available. We will absolutely be staying here in the future.
Verizon
No Service
@RobertG8EBC3A9 · Camped on Jun 27, 2025 at Campsite #A17
The night was still, the stars shined bright and the coyotes howled at dawn.
@JanisIB9FF3209 · Camped on Jan 26, 2024 at Campsite #A17
This is a nice campground. Bathrooms were nice. Sites are small so be mindful on the size of your rig. It may say fits a 30; however, the sites are narrow and run parallel to the street. I have a 26 class C and we had to park carefully as to not hit the rocks along the site and not be in the road either. We werent able to put the slide out all the way. We really enjoyed site seeing in the park!
AT&T
No Service
@JimmyH3676923 · Camped on Dec 27, 2023 at Campsite #A17
Beautiful Campsite and location, but little enforcement of campsite rules. Neighbors were still partying at 4pm. Other neighbors had their generators running at full volume at 5:30am. It's hard blame the actual campsite or hosts for people's bad behavior, but it does make it difficult to enjoy the experience when you can't sleep because of people blatantly violating quiet hour rules.
Verizon
No Service
@TheodoreSE352E · Camped on Sep 13, 2023 at Campsite #A17
I reserved Cottonwood Site A17 for two nights. Site was clean on arrival and site size and parking was as stated. Site was level. Toilet facility was clean. Water is available. Night sky was not as dark to the west due to city lights, but other directions were ok.
Verizon
No Service
@JacobL4644544 · Camped on Aug 15, 2023 at Campsite #A17
Great campsite but it is VERY far from most of the main hikes. We wanted to do Ryan Mtn and we had to drive 45 mins there :/But the campsite was perfect
AT&T
No Service
@BrianK7953567 · Camped on Mar 25, 2023 at Campsite #A17
Wonderful place to camp inside the park. Great representation of Colorado desert, with rock piles near campsite to enjoy. Easy access to great hiking trails- Mastodon Peak and Lost Palm Oasis Trail- right on A Loop. Bathroom facilities cleaner than expected. Highly recommend this campsite, especially if entering from South Entrance later in day.
AT&T
No Service
@DavidG5648223 · Camped on Mar 22, 2023 at Campsite #A17
excelent campground, the area inside the joshua tree park was beautiful, the restrooms was very well located and very clean, and the camping spot itself was great too!
AT&T
No Service
@TroyS7E16EF1AC · Camped on Feb 28, 2023 at Campsite #A17
Exceeded our expectations! Great paved sites, flush toilets, nice views, excellent Mastodon Peak Trail right out of the campground. No cell service but you can drive miles and find it.
@AllenH9471936 · Camped on Dec 17, 2022 at Campsite #A17
The campground was clean and it was overall a good experience.
@RobertC4745893 · Camped on Apr 9, 2022 at Campsite #A17
Campground was clean. Many of the sites were so level, we didn't have to do anything except drive in. We may just not have read the reservation information very well but there were nice clean toilets/sinks at the site. Schedule your trip so it will be dark when you want to stargaze. It was awesome!!
T-Mobile
No Service
@manur6E9F8AC1A · Camped on Mar 25, 2022 at Campsite #A17
Love JT camping! There was water available, bathrooms were clean
T-Mobile
No Service
@RUTHJ4484654 · Camped on Mar 11, 2022 at Campsite #A17
Joshua Tree is beautiful.
@DavidC2858387 · Camped on Feb 16, 2022 at Campsite #A17
Cottonwood is a bit far from the more popular parts of Joshua Tree, but we learned a lot more about the Sonoran side of the park. The campground was fine and the sites we had were good.
AT&T
Some Coverage
@DickM5349415 · Camped on Feb 2, 2022 at Campsite #A17
I'm sure the campground is fine. However for me to have zero cell service was not what I was looking for. No way to communicate in case of emergency was disconcerting.
Verizon
No Service
@PeterC566 · Camped on Nov 30, 2021 at Campsite #A17
We love the desert and Joshua Tree National Park has been a favorite of ours for many, many years. We are usually at Jumbo Rocks, but this time we wanted to be at Cottonwood. Nice campground and flush restrooms.
T-Mobile
No Service
@ChristopherL46 · Camped on Nov 21, 2021 at Campsite #A17
This place is beautiful. There’s great places to hike in the area. I was grateful to find a spot in the park last minute. It was pretty noisy with people up late and people using their generators during the usage hours. This campground was mostly for RVs. I would try to find a spot in one of the other campgrounds in the park of there’s availability.
@Christoph38781 · Camped on Nov 21, 2021 at Campsite #A17
This place is beautiful. Theres great places to hike in the area. I was grateful to find a spot in the park last minute. It was pretty noisy with people up late and people using their generators during the usage hours. This campground was mostly for RVs. I would try to find a spot in one of the other campgrounds in the park of theres availability.
@RodneyB216 · Camped on Nov 10, 2021 at Campsite #A17
Challenged by leveling RV
Verizon
No Service
@AndreaG950 · Camped on Oct 29, 2021 at Campsite #A17
This spot is a great size and offers a little bit of shade. Amenities were easily accessible and having access to the trail nearby was really nice.
AT&T
No Service
@JulianL181 · Camped on Oct 14, 2021 at Campsite #A17
Nice sites, beautiful scenery (although not your typical Joshua Tree scene of boulders and big Joshua trees), but the campground ever. This seems to be where people who don’t know the “rules” of camping go to camp. Loud barking dogs, music playing. It wasn’t the experience I was hoping for.
T-Mobile
No Service
@JamesC288 · Camped on May 20, 2021 at Campsite #A17
Cottonwood was very nice. It would be much better if there was a trail to the visitor center besides the roads to get there. I was surprised that when making the campgrounds they didn't level the camping spots more for RV's, I had to raise the drivers side of my RV about 6 inches. That is government planning for you....
Verizon
No Service
@GRACEZ385 · Camped on May 5, 2021 at Campsite #A17
The area and restrooms are quite clean. For some spots, you will park alongside the road for your site which feels a bit less private. However there is plenty of space between sites even if you are parked along the road. The stars are wonderful at this location, the second clearest that I have seen stars.

Campsite Photos and Videos

Map Settings
Reset
Satellite View
Satellite
Wildfires
Wildfires
National Forests
National Forests
National Parks
National Parks
Air Quality
Air Quality
Bureau of Land Management
BLM
Motor Vehicle Use Maps
OHV MVUM
Love's Travel Stop
Love's
D
Dump Stations
W
Water
LP
Propane
P
RV Parking
Walmart Supercenter
Super Walmart
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel
Bass Pro Shop
Bass Pro Shops
 
Rating:
Price*:
Length:
Amps:
Elev:
feet
Temp:
°F
Down:
Up:
*Earn our Leave No Trace badge to see our free camping sites.