Cottonwood Spring supports a small oasis near the Cottonwood Visitor Center in Joshua Tree National Park. To reach the spring from the visitor center, drive southeast on Cottonwood Oasis Road to the parking area at the end of the road, a distance of about 1¼ miles. Paved parking is available for about 30 vehicles, but finding an available spot after about 10 AM is often hit or miss especially on weekends. Many people choose to parallel park on the side of the road. We were fortunate to find a place in the designated parking area.
To reach the oasis requires a walk of about 200 yards along an inclined dirt path. A few stone stairs complete the descent to the oasis. The trail continues as part of the moderate Mastodon Peak loop trail (3 miles) and the challenging Lost Palm Oasis trail (7.5 miles round trip). We didn't have time to take either of the longer hikes during our March 2018 visit.
Centuries before this oasis became a water stop for prospectors, the Cahuilla people had been coming to the oasis. Cahuilla women spent weeks here every year pounding mesquite seeds into flour. The evidence of their labors can be found in a couple of bedrock mortars located just past the oasis.
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| Trail head at end of parking area |
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| Handrail keeps visitors on the trail and out of the sensitive plant life |
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| Cottonwood trees (Populus fremontii subsp. fremontii) |
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| Fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) |
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| Palo verde (Parkinsonia aculeata) growing above the oasis |
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| Mesquite tree (Prosopis glandulosa) |
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| Bottom of steps and beginning of cable fences |
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| This social trail to the spring is fenced off |
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| Canterbury bells (Phacelia campanularia) |
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| Looking up at the fan palms |
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| Fenced trail beyond the oasis |
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| Large cottonwood tree in wash downstream of the oasis |
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| Looking back at the fan palms in the oasis |
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| Cottonwood Springs Oasis |
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| Another cottonwood tree |
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| Bedrock mortar of the Cahuilla people |
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| Another bedrock mortar |
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| Trail continues to Lost Palms Oasis |
Entrance to Joshua Tree National Park requires an entry fee of $25 per passenger vehicle for a 7-day pass. Any of the America the Beautiful passes may be used instead.
The park website is https://www.nps.gov/jotr.
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