Cottonwood Campground

A really special experience. Sleeping under the stars with the walls of the Grand Canyon around you. Be aware that the drinking water taps along the trail are sometimes turned off meaning you have to bring lots of water as well as a water treatment systems for water from the creek. The hike back up to the north rim is steep and intense, even for very experienced hikers - definitely start well before sunrise to avoid the severe heat in summer.

Great half-way spot between the north rim and phantom ranch. A few spots with shade. Best part is the spotless bathrooms. I've never seen such clean and well-maintained backcountry bathrooms. Pit toilets, but no smell and no graffiti. Nicely done NPS. Stayed there October 10, 2023.

We stayed two nights at Cottonwood. We hiked South Kaibob trail to Cottonwood on the first day, Cottonwood to the north rim and back on day 2 and then Cottonwood up Bright Angel on the third. It was very warm bordering on hot when we were there in May, but not insufferable. We scored a campsite that had some tree cover which was a welcome reprieve for my mom in the hot afternoon sun. Campsite has basic amenities like potable water, composting toilets, picnic tables at campsites, food storage boxes and bag hooks. ||||The views and changing colours as the sun rose and set were beautiful, if it's not raining I recommend taking the fly off your tent, those starry skies are something else. The biggest treat at the end of a day of hiking was walking down to the creek, sitting on a rock part way into the water to let icy water pass over sore muscles. For a back country style campground it was pretty great.||||Things to know:||1) Book ahead, during the summer even Cottonwood books up ||2) The ground is very hard/packed clay and stones, it is nearly impossible to get a tent peg in unless you have a good tool and a decent swing. There is a good chance you will need to use some of the many rocks in the campground area to secure your tent. We had no problems with this||3) From lizards to squirrels, to birds, all the creatures are looking for a free meal. When you return to the campground, immediately remove everything food related from your pack place food AND garbage in the provided bins, then hang your bag from the posts. I had an old fruit bar wrapper in my bag and squirrels chewed through my new backpack to lick the empty wrapper while I was in the bathroom. Also witnessed the ravens trying to open my bag at one point.

What a view! Stayed in campsite #1. Had the most incredible sunset show in the canyon. Star show in the night sky. Relatively easy hike to Cottonwood from Bright Angel/Phantom Ranch. For the most part level until last mile. Hike to Cottonwood not to be missed. Creek runs beside trail the entire way. Canyon walls open up to beautiful valley. See Ribbon Falls from trail (or hike over as side trip) No bathrooms until you get to Cottonwood but plenty of pull off points. Photo opportunities abound! Check ahead of time if water available at Cottonwood. We used filters and the creek on our stay. Picnic tables, backpack poles and food bins at each site. Basic needs met but still one of the high points of our trip.

They tell you to bring backup water purification for a reason! I had iodine tablets that came in handy once the pipeline broke, but some people ignored the messages and were stuck without a filter or purification. Do your diligence when planning your trek. It's a great spot to camp, right next to the creek. Toilets are clean. Some campsites had some shade, others were pretty wide-open for sun. There are 11 sites total so it stayed pretty quiet. Did South Kaibab trailhead to Cottonwood Day 1, up to North Rim and back Day 2, and Cottonwood to Bright Angel trailhead Day 3, which was perfect for our pace.

Cottonwood is a small campground about 7 miles from the North Rim. It is a nice stop along the way. It is a small campground. Permit is required and it is first come, first served. ||||Bathrooms are compost toilets (Bright Angel is actual flush toilets) and there are no running water sinks. There are 2 drinking water faucets, one by the campsites and another by the day use area. I read that there is no shade at all here but that is not true. Some sites do not have any shade but others to have shade.||||We camped in camp site 10. We loved it. It had shade and amazing views. There are ammo cans for your food and trash and poles for your backpacks.||||If you stay here on a Rim to Rim trip, I recommend heading to Ribbon Falls right after you get into camp (leave your backpacks at the camp). It is a little over a mile down the trail from Cottonwood (there is a sign for the trail to Ribbon Falls and a foot bridge). Ribbon Falls is a must and it would be difficult climbing over some of the rocks to get there with a full 30 lb pack on your back. Beautiful falls though.||||I really enjoyed my stay. Recommend it to anyone thinking about it.

This campground was fine as far as it having water and bathrooms. It was a place to stop on the rim to rim. But, this campground has NO cover. It is so hard to keep out of the strong sun here. Other campgrounds had overhangs but this one is just wide open. Be prepared for that. We hung a tarp to get us some shade. The nearby river was great to cool off. Also, the hike to ribbon falls is worth it; it was beautiful.

I was there in March and it was wonderful. It wasn't too crowded, but even if it had been full I think it would have been ok since the camp sites are further apart than the other main corridor campgrounds. There are a few trees for shade. Running water is only available seasonally, but Bright Angel Creek is nearby if you do need to filter. There are composting toilets. This is a great little campground for such a busy trail.