Big Bend National Park, Texas
- Fee per night$16
- SeasonNov - Apr
- RV length (some sites)Up to 30 ft
- Drinking wateryes
- Electricno
At a glance: Confirmed: drinking water. No electric hookups, flush toilets or showers. Listed for rigs up to 30 ft.
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Amenities
“Not listed” means the official sources don’t say - it does not mean “no”.
- Electric hookups No
- Drinking water Yes
- Flush toilets No
- Showers No
- Dump station No
- Water hookups at sites No
- Sewer hookups Not listed
- Tent sites Yes
- RV / trailer sites Yes
- Reservable online Yes
Sites, fees and season
- Campsites
- 31
- Longest RV / trailer listed
- Up to 30 ft at selected sites (not every site; check access and your site)
- Elevation
- 2,129 ft
- Open season
- -Cottonwood Campground is open November 1 through April 30. -Plan ahead. Reservations are required for all sites and can be made up to 14 days in advance. (as listed by National Park Service, Oct 26, 2026)
- Phone
- (432) 477-1121 (campground or managing office)
- Listed fees
- $16.00 per site per night - Campsite Fee
Official fee information
Campsite Fee: $16.00 - Per night. Reservations required through www.recreation.gov Pit toilets, picnic tables, grills, and water are available. No dump station, no generators allowed. Campsite capacity is maximum of 8 people and two vehicles. Park entrance fees are separate from campground fees. An entrance pass is requir
The listed length is the longest site; not every site fits that size. Confirm your site on the official reservation page.
Location and nearby campgrounds
Location on the map · Driving directions · 29.13694, -103.52222 (the official listing point; check the access road for large rigs)
- Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, TX) 16.2 mi straight-line
- Rio Grande Village RV 33.8 mi straight-line
- Rio Grande Village (Big Bend, TX) 34.2 mi straight-line
From the official listing description, directions and rules
Cottonwood Campground is a quiet desert oasis in the southwestern corner of Big Bend National Park. Conveniently located between the Castolon Historic District, the scenic Santa Elena Canyon and the tail end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, this small, 30-site campground is one of the least-known and quiet campgrounds in the park. There is one group campsite and 30 individual sites. This is a remote campground in a remote park. It is dry camping, no hook-ups, and no generators are permitted. There is not a fill or dump station, please come prepared. Cottonwood gets its name from the cottonwood trees that surround and provide shade for the facility nearby the Rio Grande. A general store and visitor center -- a converted former military outpost -- are also nearby. The campground is at an elevation of 1,900 ft. (580 m). It is relatively cool in the peak seasons of fall and winter due to cold air sinking into the lower elevations. In the spring and summer, this campground is very hot, with temperatures normally exceeding 100° F (38° C) from mid-March through August.
Facilities
The campground has pit (vault) toilets, potable water, picnic tables, bear boxes, and grills. There are no hook-ups or fill and dump stations, and the use of generators is not allowed.
Nearby Attractions
Santa Elena Canyon, Castolon Historic District, and Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive are near the campground.
Weather forecast - next 7 days
Loading the National Weather Service forecast...
Climate by month
Average daily high and low and monthly precipitation, 1991-2020 normals from the NOAA station Castolon - 0.5 mi away, station at 2,169 ft - about the same height as the campground. Long-term averages, not a forecast; the open season is listed separately above.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69 | 36 | 0.36 |
| Feb | 75 | 42 | 0.33 |
| Mar | 83 | 48 | 0.29 |
| Apr | 92 | 57 | 0.37 |
| May | 100 | 67 | 0.79 |
| Jun | 104 | 74 | 1.38 |
| Jul | 102 | 75 | 1.71 |
| Aug | 102 | 75 | 1.51 |
| Sep | 96 | 70 | 1.55 |
| Oct | 89 | 59 | 0.81 |
| Nov | 78 | 46 | 0.48 |
| Dec | 69 | 37 | 0.28 |
Highlight months with an average high between and °F:
Photos from visitors
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Reviews are the personal experience of registered visitors. They do not change the official facts above; a reported problem (for example "the water was off") is checked against the official sources.
Questions & answers
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Sources and data dates where every fact comes from
| Fact | Source | Fetched from the source |
|---|---|---|
| Campsites | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Reservable online | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Tent sites | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| RV / trailer sites | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Electric hookups | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Water hookups at sites | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Drinking water | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Flush toilets | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Showers | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Dump station | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Longest RV / trailer listed | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Elevation | USGS elevation (EPQS) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Lowest listed fee | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Highest listed fee | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Open season | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Official page | National Park Service | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Official reservations | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
| Phone | Recreation.gov (RIDB) | Oct 26, 2026 source updated Feb 25, 2026 |
Last successful data update for this page: Oct 27, 2026. That is when we last read the official sources - not a personal visit, and not the date the source itself changed (shown per fact above). Found something wrong? Report an error.