Cottonwood Spring — Attraction in Coachella

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...

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...

Hiked to the lost Palms Oasis, a little over 7 miles. The trail is well marked which is good because everything in the desert looks like a trail. There is a great Oasis at the very beginning that is a great birding spot first thing in the morning. Recommend starting at sunrise to give yourself plenty of time to hang out in the second Oasis. We hiked in the early morning and I still drank 3 litres of water. IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO BEES, bring your epi-pen, we didn't get stung, but there were a lot of bees at the Oasis, and because you have to do some rock hopping/cliimbing to get into and out of the Oasis, you can't really get away from...