USDA Forest Service · California
Cottonwood Lakes Walk-in Campground
USDA Forest Service · California, United States
- Cost
- Overnight Use: Single Site: $11 per night
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Elevation
- 10,033 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- COTTONWOOD LAKES TH (NFSR 16S02B) · asphalt · suitable for passenger cars
- Nearest town
- Lone Pine, CA
About
US Forest Service campground. Located in the Horseshoe Meadow Recreation Area, the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead campground has 13 walk-in sites suitable for backpackers and hikers to use the night before they are going to hike to Cottonwood Lakes. Self-register when you arrive. Sites include food storage boxes, tent pads, tables, fire grates, and vault toilets. The backpackers walk in campsites share parking with the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead. Overflow parking spaces available. Not reservable through Recreation.gov, so plan on first-come, first-served; check with the ranger district for current conditions and fees.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 16° | 0° | 47° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 30° | 17° | -6° | 46° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 34° | 17° | -1° | 60° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 42° | 24° | 6° | 55° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 51° | 31° | 11° | 65° | 9 of 11 |
| June | 66° | 44° | 22° | 75° | 2 of 11 |
| July | 72° | 52° | 42° | 79° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 68° | 49° | 44° | 76° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 61° | 43° | 32° | 69° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 53° | 35° | 9° | 66° | 7 of 10 |
| November | 43° | 29° | 5° | 58° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 34° | 21° | -7° | 48° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Cottonwood Pass Walk-in Campground · USDA Forest Service · 0 mi
- Tuttle Creek Campground · Bureau of Land Management · 8 mi · 83 sites
- Diaz Lake Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 10 mi · 100 sites
- Lone Pine · USDA Forest Service · 10 mi · 28 sites
- Mt. Whitney Trailhead Ravine Campground · USDA Forest Service · 10 mi
All public campgrounds in California · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-06. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.