Joshua Tree National Park › California
› San Bernardino County
› Cottonwood Campground
› Campsite #B31
Campsite #B31 at Cottonwood Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Campsite #B31 Features: Drive-In access, Parallel parking, 38-foot driveway, Fire ring w/ Grill, Picnic Table, RV Site, Tent Site, Trailer Site, Pets Allowed
Campsite Reviews (25)
5.0 out of 5
| 5 star | | 48% |
| 4 star | | 36% |
| 3 star | | 16% |
| 2 star | | 0% |
| 1 star | | 0% |
@BonniFB9964D4B · Camped on Dec 5, 2025 at Campsite #B31
We stayed at Site B31, which had lots of room to spread outThe campers were kind and respectful; the bathrooms were clean
@AndrV71870AA89 · Camped on Dec 3, 2025 at Campsite #B31
Campground has excellent restrooms, good space for tents and easy access.
No Service
@AyeletS7E9C7B8 · Camped on Nov 11, 2025 at Campsite #B31
At first, they assigned us to a site that wasnt big enough for us, even though we specified the size when registering.In the end, we just moved to another spot and it was great.
No Service
@CarmenM7977832 · Camped on Sep 21, 2025 at Campsite #B31
To be honest this is by far the most unclean and unkept campground at any national park weve ever been to. Im not sure why its so overlooked. There seems to be many rangers at the visitor center close by. Sites are spread apart and sun rise/sun set are beautiful. The bathrooms dont have lights which is great. Dark skies are awesome. But, so much trash rolling around. We picked up what we could but cant clean up the entire campground in two nights of a stay.
No Service
@LukeS8D5D8EC50 · Camped on Apr 25, 2025 at Campsite #B31
Cottonwood campground is amazing for three reasons:1. It's by far the darkest campground in the park, and it's very close to the darkest area in the park (the road between cottonwood and cholla cactus garden). If stargazing is your goal, this campground is for you.2. Cottonwoods is about ~40 minutes from the most crowded areas of the park (White Tank, Ryan peak, etc.) and as a result (I thought) is generally much calmer and quieter than the other campgrounds.3. It has the best facilities in the park by far, including flushing toilets and plenty of running water.
No Service
@TristaB04A2892 · Camped on Feb 11, 2025 at Campsite #B31
The campground is nice but our site, B31, was on the top of a hill and extremely windy. We lit a fire but quickly put it out because we were afraid the embers might spread. There were also no lights in the bathroom.
Some Coverage
@ThomasD6597226 · Camped on Nov 13, 2024 at Campsite #B31
Beautiful well maintained campground.
No Service
@BruceW24312111 · Camped on Nov 8, 2024 at Campsite #B31
Great site, clean, would return again.
No Service
@Christina6B903 · Camped on Aug 30, 2024 at Campsite #B31
Wonderful experience.
@NoelFEF3A2058C · Camped on Apr 15, 2024 at Campsite #B31
It was Coachella week so I think some of those people were around, but not troublesome. Water stations were in strange places. I liked being on the edge because it felt private, except when people would be driving down the road. (Light from headlights) But that wasn't really a problem. There was some sort of medium size animal that carried off my sausage bag. I found it and brought it back, lacking a sausage of course.
@Samanthac24979 · Camped on Mar 25, 2024 at Campsite #B31
Campground was clean and pretty quiet - especially for it being Spring Break. Having flush toilets was very much an added plus, even though we had a porta potty in our camper. Recommend hiking Mastodon Peak (start early in the AM), and if you can hike up to the top of the peak where the trailhead starts to loop back around to the parking lot. There are some open (sealed off for access) mine shafts right after the loop back, take a second to check them out too. We also hiked Arch Rock and stopped by Skull Rock - not as impressive as Mastadon, but recommend if you're looking for an easier hike.
No Service
@LauraW5748533 · Camped on Mar 5, 2024 at Campsite #B31
The reservation system for this park was hard to use. When I booked my spot 5 months before the trip I was unable to get a spot in loop A which was my preferred loop because the loop was supposedly closed for a redo of the electrical hook ups. I had to book a spot in one of the other loops but when I arrived at the park I found that A loop was in full use. Such a disappointment!!
Good
@JulieH3977949 · Camped on Dec 10, 2023 at Campsite #B31
Stayed at B31. Great campground with water. Saw lots of stars and kangaroo rats at night.
No Service
@JoanaBE9600670 · Camped on May 26, 2023 at Campsite #B31
Good place to stay after visiting Joshua Tree. The camp is nice and peaceful!!!
@KoT1049667 · Camped on Apr 8, 2023 at Campsite #B31
We had a great 2-day stay at Cottonwood campground. The campground was well maintained and clean, including bathroom facilities. The bathrooms were spotless! Thank you so much for staff at the park and other campers for keeping them nice...
The campground has a trailhead that leads to a few beautiful trails. Mastodon loop trail is a must (it became one of my favorite trails in this park). Los Palms Oasis is a long, exposed hike but the view at the oasis is worth it.
Although campsites are well leveled and spacious, there is no shade. There is no vegetation that you can use to hang anything.
Picnic tables are large (concrete type) and fire pits with grates were well maintained and well placed.
The campground has a trailhead that leads to a few beautiful trails. Mastodon loop trail is a must (it became one of my favorite trails in this park). Los Palms Oasis is a long, exposed hike but the view at the oasis is worth it.
Although campsites are well leveled and spacious, there is no shade. There is no vegetation that you can use to hang anything.
Picnic tables are large (concrete type) and fire pits with grates were well maintained and well placed.
No Service
No Service
@BarbaraC865675 · Camped on Feb 12, 2023 at Campsite #B31
Great campground !!! Really nice to start your visit at the park .
No Service
@RobertB6182770 · Camped on Feb 11, 2023 at Campsite #B31
Secluded in its own area tucked away behind a few bushes, great views, and signature JTree concrete picnic tables (great to tie down your canopy). Clean facilities, but just too far south to drive back and forth to all the “main” hikes and POIs in the park, but still a great area to do some stargazing.
No Service
@RichardL555896 · Camped on Dec 5, 2022 at Campsite #B31
Beautiful but tight. There is just enough room for bigger RV, perfect for tents and smaller campers. We went in November which was pretty cold and left a couple of days early because the temperature was dropping, so be aware of the weather. Site are pretty open and although you have neighbors you are not on top of each other. Weekends are more crowded as LA and Palm Springs/Indio are close. There are several good relatively easy hikes near. The national park is huge with the campground taking only a small fraction. There is much we did not do or see. Not in my top ten but pretty close. I can imagine summer is quite hot. Water and sewer are at the lone dump station. Water is available from camp side fountains. Did not use the available out houses in the center of each of the two loops. Not a very large campground, 62 sites, quiet time with generator hours, 6 hours total, 7-9, 12-2, 5-7. The desert is open and beautiful. Wind is available sometimes. It is a nice get away for the locals and a great place to visit for everyone. Enjoy!
@danb6262240 · Camped on May 1, 2022 at Campsite #B31
This campground is located in the southwest part of Joshua Tree NP and is one of two campgrounds that has potable water and a dump station. But It is a bit of a drive to some of the trails. Our site was an outer site that was mostly level and had amazing view of the desert. This is a massively beautiful desert park. We stayed here three nights and the campground was not full and was very quiet. I recommend you get the NPS.GOV app and download the park map, but you can use the app to tell you where youre at on a trail as your phone GPS still works. We would stay here again.
No Service
@RickDe7A70B860 · Camped on Apr 21, 2022 at Campsite #B31
Quiet, serene, campground. A little tight for our 26ft.'s slider to go out, however we had a great stay.
@melanieb226926 · Camped on Apr 9, 2022 at Campsite #B31
Very nice campground - quiet, clean and easy to access. Our family had a great time!
No Service
@scottb3088469 · Camped on Mar 9, 2022 at Campsite #B31
Beautiful location, lots to do not far away. Two great trail hikes [Lost Palms and Conejo Wells] right from the campground. We spent 5 nights with a different adventure every day. The biggest problem is the noise from generators. Every day at breakfast and dinner, instead of the quiet of the desert, we heard several generators around the campground. The loudest one was from the camp host. Luckily, people paid attention to quiet hours. When the last generator shut off at night, we knew it was 7:00. After Cottonwood, we did some dispersed camping in Anza-Borrego far from a campground. The silence was golden. Perhaps in the near future campgrounds will begin banning generators.
No Service
@ScottP5976595 · Camped on Feb 12, 2022 at Campsite #B31
A very good experience with the exception of one family who left their dog outside that barked all night
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