0
Pull-thru
NPSBig Bend National Park · Texas
Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX)
Overview Cottonwood Campground is a quiet desert oasis in the southwestern corner of Big Bend National Park.
Sites3129 reservable
Elev.2,139ft
Comf.Jan-Dec6 months
Max rig40 ft
Electricnonesites
From San Antonio8h32real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 2,139 ft, Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX) has a 6-month comfortable window (Jan-Dec). Winter nights average around 44°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 31 sites total: 29 reservable and 2 first-come, first-served. This is bear country, and food-storage lockers are provided. Within about 4 miles: 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and quiet. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Apr
Jan-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
98%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Feb 2
Last spring frost; first fall frost Dec 21.
81°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
San Antonio
473 mi
8h32
02
Austin
498 mi
9h18
03
Dallas
610 mi
11h20
04
Houston
665 mi
11h56
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 13.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 31 SITES
Color byShow only
3 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
2
Accessible
0
Prime
31
Sites
★ The standout
Site 029 ADA
Cottonwood (TX) · shaded.
To neighbor
144 ft
Max rig
24 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
8
Peaks
1
Viewpoints
5
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
13.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.