Cottonwood Campground
BLM
Write a Review McCain Valley Rd. Boulevard, CA 91905 760-337-4400 Official WebsiteGPS: 32.8002, -116.3383
Overview of Cottonwood Campground
Last Price Paid: $6
Reported by the gheens on 1/14/2023
Longest RV Reported: 38 feet
Reported by Jack&Elizabeth on 9/23/2016
Number of Sites 25
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 4,297 ft / 1,309 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Cottonwood Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-337-4400
Dancing Duo asked on 4/26/2021
Does anyone know if you can have wood fires in the fire pits provided or are campfires currently banned?
Reviews of Cottonwood Campground 5 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 1 User
Last reported 5/2/2021
“Needs a lot of care!”
Reviewed 1/14/2023
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 0 |
| Site Number: | 0 |
| RV Length: | 32' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
Both the Lark and Cottonwood campsites are over grown with tree encrouchment. You would need to be tent camping or in a small van to even access sites. Roads are tight and washed out inside both campgrounds. McCain Valley Road was very nice, but no pull outs available for disperse camping. I am glad we investigated with a high cle... more
Both the Lark and Cottonwood campsites are over grown with tree encrouchment. You would need to be tent camping or in a small van to even access sites. Roads are tight and washed out inside both campgrounds. McCain Valley Road was very nice, but no pull outs available for disperse camping. I am glad we investigated with a high clearance vehicle before driving the RV through these camprounds. Sites are not very large. I would not even attempt a 5th wheel or large travel trailer, not even my 32' class C.
These could be very nice grounds if BLM would care for them. Can't belive they still expect 6 dollars a night in the condition they are in. BTW no hosts are present in either campground at this time. Both have vault toilets, but I never went inside - scared.
If I had to stay due to nightfall, I would suggest the Equestian campground across from Cottonwood. This is not great, also small sights, but you can at least pull in without bottoming out your rig.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Peaceful but Windy!”
Reviewed 5/2/2021
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 16 |
| RV Length: | 27' (Class B Plus) |
Overall Rating
Stayed a couple nights in late April 2021. Temps were warm but shade was abundant at our site, you just need to scout around as some are all sun. Our 2nd night the wind picked up with a vengeance and gear was flying. This CG is right on the rim above the desert valley with wind turbines everywhere ....heat & wind was not really a surpr... more
Stayed a couple nights in late April 2021. Temps were warm but shade was abundant at our site, you just need to scout around as some are all sun. Our 2nd night the wind picked up with a vengeance and gear was flying. This CG is right on the rim above the desert valley with wind turbines everywhere ....heat & wind was not really a surprise. The 12+ miles of dirt road to the campground was super washboard-y and not fun, took almost an hour. But we had the place to ourselves for our Thursday-Fri night stay. It was beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves, just too many other cool places to explore so likely won’t go again.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Enjoyed the seclusion, very quiet.”
Reviewed 10/4/2020
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | 24 |
Overall Rating
Great scenery, lot of trees and vegetation for secluded camping. The bathrooms were closed due to the pandemic and most of the trashcans were full. However, I couldn’t complain for I had the whole campground to myself. I have Verizon and couldn’t get a signal unless I climbed the nearest hill. Surprised that I didn’t see hardly any w... more
Great scenery, lot of trees and vegetation for secluded camping. The bathrooms were closed due to the pandemic and most of the trashcans were full. However, I couldn’t complain for I had the whole campground to myself. I have Verizon and couldn’t get a signal unless I climbed the nearest hill. Surprised that I didn’t see hardly any wildlife, not even at night. The road to the campsite is 12 miles of gravel and gets a little bumpy at times, but worth it. Definitely will go back again.
knoll128 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Well-maintained secluded campground”
Reviewed 1/29/2020
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 3 |
Overall Rating
Spent the weekend here just before Christmas 2019, definitely plan to come back. The access road in was much better condition than described in the 2016 review - a large wind farm was constructed along McCain Valley Road in 2018, and the roads were widened and smoothed for construction access, and have been kept up since for maintenanc... more
Spent the weekend here just before Christmas 2019, definitely plan to come back. The access road in was much better condition than described in the 2016 review - a large wind farm was constructed along McCain Valley Road in 2018, and the roads were widened and smoothed for construction access, and have been kept up since for maintenance traffic. There is one area, described in the 2016 review, that has warning signs about washouts, but it was in excellent condition when we went through. AWD SUV had no issues with the access road, and I don't think a trailer would have been a problem.
The campground itself is split into two loops. The west side tucks into the base of the hills and has a lot of shady oaks. The east side is more flat and open but still has some scattered oaks. Each site has at least one fire ring and picnic table, some had multiple. BLM had recently cut down dead oaks and left all the wood behind, which we took advantage of. We had the east loop to ourselves, which is not unusual out here (the campgrounds closer to I-8 at Lark Canyon OHV area looked about half full). There were some super cool folks on the west loop, though, who hosted us at their huge campfire while they opened X-Mas gifts. They even brought string lights and decorated a scrub oak in the holiday spirit :)
The campground was very clean, vault toilets looked to have been cleaned recently. It was very quiet and still all afternoon and evening. There are a couple of wind turbines fairly close to the campground, but none of these were spinning and all you could hear was an occasional high-flying passenger jet and a distant pack of coyotes. That changed about 3:00am when the turbines powered on - the winds had picked up to 20 knots or so and stayed constant the rest of the time we were out there. The turbines weren't too loud, about like one of those airliners going constantly.
Between the turbines, night time lows in the 30s, and the fact that it was the weekend before Christmas, the whole north end of McCain Valley felt even farther from civilization. If you're out here for more than the seclusion, I recommend checking out Sacatone Overlook on the way in. There's a sign for the turnoff about 10 miles south of Cottonwood Campground, about a half mile before the pavement starts. The overlook road was less maintained than McCain Valley Road, but no trouble with decent clearance (2WD passenger vehicle might have a problem). The overlook has a picnic table and views all the way across the desert to Arizona (110+ miles) and north as far as Mt. San Jacinto (80+ miles). Well worth the detour if you're into that kind of thing.
No cell phone access anywhere near the campground. I'm on Google Fi, which uses Sprint and T-Mobile networks.
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T-Mobile
GoorooDougie would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Unusual shade forest in the desert”
Reviewed 9/23/2016
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 24 |
| RV Length: | 38' |
Overall Rating
The campground is only about 12 miles from the freeway but the drive took over an hour. There were parts of the road that were somewhat smooth but the majority was washboarded. The last little leg before the campground was washed out rather badly and took some careful maneuvering to navigate. I would not head back unless it was with a ... more
The campground is only about 12 miles from the freeway but the drive took over an hour. There were parts of the road that were somewhat smooth but the majority was washboarded. The last little leg before the campground was washed out rather badly and took some careful maneuvering to navigate. I would not head back unless it was with a 4x4 and a designated driver. I am a brave driver but I would not brave the route again with a 28' trailer and a 4x2. Getting into the site took every bit of my driving ability as there is little room to backup or turn around. Be sure to stock up before heading this way as there will be no quick trips to town.
The campground shows little signs of road and tree maintenance and several of the spots are closed. However, once you are able to get to the location and into a spot you will find yourself surrounded by beautiful shade trees, cement picnic tables, and decent pit toilets. There was a wonderful breeze that sang through the trees during our entire stay.
The east campground was busier with tight roads and smaller sites; which allowed tent camping. The west campground had more open spots with larger sites and did not allow tent camping. The roads here were also very narrow and not well maintained but we managed to scrape our way into a great site under a cluster of shade trees (which had grown into one massive tree). If you are heading this way with anything larger than a truck camper be sure to pack a saw.
The area was very clean. There was little litter and fresh trash bags. We saw no broken glass.
We chose what we considered the best spot. There was a nice large open area with a cement picnic table that was nearly completely shaded. We went on Labor Day weekend but were still able to find a secluded spot with just one neighbor that was not visible. The area underneath the tree was smooth dirt surrounded by large bushes. A short walk to the neighboring site had a sunny picnic table with beautiful views. A short hike past the gated area led to an abandoned well with a marvelous view of the entire area.
Other than occasionally hearing our neighbors the only noise was the wind whistling (and sometimes howling) through the trees.
Zero AT&T.
Jack&Elizabeth would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- OHV
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- horse corral
- restrooms: vault
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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