Joshua Tree National Park

Hike Cottonwood Spring

easy BirdersFamiliesWheelchair Accessible
3 mi Distance
20 min Estimated Time
roundtrip Trail Type

What to Expect

From the Cottonwood Spring parking area at the park's southern edge, a broad, mostly flat path deposits you in under ten minutes into one of the most unexpected scenes in the Mojave: a genuine oasis. Towering California fan palms — the only palm native to the western United States — crowd a spring-fed hollow, their shaggy skirts of old fronds rattling in any breeze. The temperature drops a few degrees the moment you step under the canopy. Cottonwood trees fill the gaps, and bird activity is near-constant — warblers, orioles, and tanagers treat this water source like a layover lounge during spring migration. Just past the main grove, a shallow bedrock bowl worn smooth by centuries of grinding grain quietly anchors the place in deep human time. This trail belongs to birders, first-timers, families with strollers, and anyone who wants the payoff of a desert oasis without earning it with their legs.
BirdersFamiliesWheelchair AccessibleHistory BuffsDesert First-Timers

Safety Advisory

The Cottonwood area sits at the park's low-elevation southern end, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit — this easy trail can turn punishing between late May and September if you arrive mid-day without water.

Dogs and other pets are prohibited on all Joshua Tree trails, including this one. Service animals on a six-foot leash are the sole exception — plan accordingly before you arrive.

Trail Details

Distance 3 miles round-trip
Difficulty easy
Estimated Time 20 min
Trail Type roundtrip
Pets Not allowed
Season Year-round
Trailhead Hike Cottonwood Spring
Trail Tips
  1. 1

    Arrive within the first hour after sunrise during April and May — migrating songbirds funnel through this oasis in numbers that will embarrass the rest of your Joshua Tree itinerary.

  2. 2

    The trail is wheelchair accessible and stroller-friendly, but the surface gets sandy in spots near the spring — wider tires handle it better than narrow jogging stroller wheels.

  3. 3

    Walk five paces past the main palm cluster to find the bedrock mortar: a shallow grinding bowl worn into the rock by the Cahuilla people. Most visitors turn around at the palms and miss it entirely.

Photos

Cottonwood trees and California fan palmsNPS/Robb Hannawacker

Getting There

Get directions

More Trails in Joshua Tree

Hikers on a dirt trail going between Joshua trees and shrubs heading towards a rock formation.

Hike Boy Scout Trail

Moderate
8 mi ·1-10 hours hrs
Hikers descending a dirt trail through Joshua trees, yuccas, and shrubs.

Hike Lost Palms Oasis

strenuous
7.5 mi ·4-6 hours hrs
wo hikers walk along a sandy trail surrounded by golden vegetation and tall granite rock formations

Hike Willow Hole

Moderate
7 mi ·246 ft gain ·3-5 hours hrs
A large Joshua tree in the middle of a trail through a desert landscape.

Hike Panorama Loop Trail

Moderate
6.6 mi ·1,000 ft gain ·3-5 hours hrs

Explore Joshua Tree National Park

9 campgrounds, 78 trails, 3.0M annual visitors

View Park Guide