Cottonwood Spring

Joshua tree ended up going from "why should I go there??" To being a standard for my Cali desert time. BLM is very accommodating when visiting on a budget. Visiting here will definitely make core memories

Lots of space for car camping and bringing trailers. The road goes into Joshua Tree. --- 5/5 Stars - A Must-See If You Love... Dirt? If you're looking for a place with absolutely breathtaking amounts of dirt, congratulations—you’ve found paradise. Cottonwood Springs is like nature’s minimalist art installation: dirt, more dirt, some suspiciously brown mountains, and the occasional lizard giving you side-eye like you’re the one out of place. No shade (literally, there’s no shade), just vibes—and by vibes I mean sunburn and a constant reminder that water is life. But hey, the night sky? UNREAL. Like, “is this a screensaver or am I having a spiritual awakening under the Milky Way?” kind of unreal. Bring a camera, leave your expectations, and prepare to be wowed by the cosmic display and humbled by the sheer amount of... you guessed it—dirt. #DesertVibes #LizardWatch2025 #JoshuaTreeAesthetic #DirtTok #SkyPorn Would I go again? Yes. Do I understand why the lizards run this place? Also yes. Follow me for more brutally honest travel reviews you didn’t know you needed! @YourFavoriteWanderer Final Rating: 5 lizards out of 5.

It was really nice to be able to see a rare cluster of California Fan Palms, there seems to be about 3 distinctive clusters off of the trails here. The hike around the area is fairly easy and took us about 2-3 hours including rest time and taking in all the scenery.

Did the Mastodon Peak hike starting from Cottonwood Spring Parking Lot on a Saturday afternoon in February. There was no room in the parking lot, and cars were parked along the road for a good ~500 feet leading up to it. The trail actually runs right along the road, so it didn't add any extra mileage to park a bit farther from the trailhead. Did the loop counter clockwise - came to around 500ft gain, all in the beginning, over 2.4 miles. You start with some good photo opportunities of the trees, and reach the mine at around the 1 mile mark. Good trail, easy to follow. I entered the Park from the south, and didn't have to wait or show my Annual Pass for this.

Really cool starting trailhead for a great hike to the Lost Palms Oasis! Big grove of palm trees in the desert, with a well-maintained and well-paved trail. The parking lot has trash cans, but no water or restrooms. The hike was beautiful, with lots of boulders, Mountain View’s, and even a desert tortoise!

I love the southern portion(Colorado Desert) of Joshua Tree National Park. Though it is devoid of the Joshua Tree, its unique features more than compensate. I love this paradise and the creatures that abound here!!!

Beautiful spot with some beautiful trees and some great scenery. You don't need to go very far to enjoy the scenery. There's some rock stairs and then you can see pretty far away. Not the best compared to the other rock formations in the park but it's still worth a stop.

Visited Cottonwood Springs in early March 2024 on a weekday. Lots of parking available. There was also a fair sized visitors centre with washrooms and running water. I deecided to do the decided to do the Lost Palm Oasis hike, and on the way back, do the Mastadon loop back. The Lost Palm Oasis hike was about 1.5 hours each way. It wasn't a tough hike at all. It was very easy, but it seemed long because there were a lot of hills. The viewpoint wasn't the best in the end. But the hike was good and gave us. Nice workout. Definitely bring water and snacks with you.

One of the best spots in Joshua Tree National Park for wildlife - especially birds! I've never seen so many quails on a trail in all my years birding - it was wonderful! And I saw a gorgeous Black-throated Sparrow for the first time here too! The short, flat, sandy trail is easily accessible but there are several other trailheads in this spot if you want to extend your explorations. The Cottonwood Spring is actually a result of earthquake activity. And while I didn't see any water and the wash was dry, there were plenty of signs indicating water is somewhere nearby. There are huge stands of native fan palms and wispy, beautiful Cottonwoods all throughout the wash - along with tons of bugs, bees, and all the other thirsty creatures. Apparently in heavy rains the dry sandy wash becomes a flowing river with a waterfall! The spring season brings wildflowers and the autumn brings the fall colors for the Cottonwoods. Local Cahuilla people called this area home for centuries and you can still clearly see the bedrock mortars they used along the trail in places. Prospectors and miners also used the spring as a water stop on their way from Mecca to northern mines. This spring area was first mentioned in a gold mine claim filed in 1875 so there's lots of history here surprisingly. There are three main trails originating in this area- the short and flat Cottonwood Springs wash loop, the longer and more elevated Mastodon Peak, and the even longer and harder Lost Palms Oasis trail. Due to time constraints I was only able to spend a couple of hours here but definitely would've loved to have more time to explore - especially Mastodon Peak. Cottonwood Springs is located just down from the visitor center at the south entrance - so you won't see any Joshua Trees as those are all in the northern parts of the park. But it's still definitely worth exploring. And there's a campground about 1/2 mile away with picnic tables and bathrooms. There are also portapotties at the visitor center nearby. The roads in this area are paved, well maintained, and there is plenty of paved parking at the trailhead. The National park charges a fee to enter with pay stations on the way into the park and a nice gift shop in the visitor center.

The least favorable of the three entrance portals into Joshua Tree (the other two being Joshua Tree Visitor Center & Joshua Tree NP Cultural Center). - No potable water refill station at this visitor center; the staff told me to go to the restroom to get it. yike. My stomach's more sensitive despite having already exposed it to plenty germs, so I still have to prefer the more filtered water. - Less to see at Cottonwood Spring visitor center. Less displays and amenities. Smaller than the other two.

Peak of the Devil While this location is known for and eponymously named after Cottonwood Spring, it really is much more than that. The "spring"--which is located just a few hundred feet from the parking lot--is fairly dry these days, and other than the bridge crossing over what would be the Creek feeding it, there's really not much evidence it even exists. The highlight of this area is the hike up to Mastadon Peak, a fairly easy 500' climb that involves some steady feet and rock climbing to get to the peak of the hill which stands at ±3,350'. The entire trail is about a 2-mile loop and back. There's an additional trail, Lost Palm Oasis Trail, that takes you to a day use area a few miles down the road but I didn't venture there, as we had bigger fish to fry. TLDR: It's not too bad of a climb and if my fat ass can do it then you can too! Only recommended on a cool day, as there's a lack of shade. Otherwise bring plenty of water!