In August, everyone was dealing with poor air quality due to the smoke from the California Wildfire in Northern California. We were on our way to Arizona to evacuate at that time. Since this whole evacuation was decided suddenly, we didn’t plan to visit anywhere on the way. For road trips, we are always spontaneous! We were driving on I-10 eastbound to Arizona when I saw the Google Maps that we would be driving by Joshua Tree National Park, and I thought why not? Cottonwood Spring is an ideal place for people like us who want to go on a quick and easy hike in Joshua Tree National Park.
WHERE IS COTTONWOOD SPRING?
Cottonwood Spring is 7 miles from the South entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, in Southern California. It’s only a 15-minute drive from the exit from I-10 to get to the destination.
Cottonwood Visitor Center
Since you would be driving past the Visitor Center on the way to Cottonwood Spring, stop there to get some brochures and ask the Rangers questions at the visitor center.
Park rangers always help us find where to go and what to do. They can also help you decide which trails to take based on how difficult you want the hikes to be for you or your family. They recommended that we should go hike “Cottonwood Spring” this time since we didn’t have so much time to spend within this park.
Hiking Trail
Hiking Level: Easy
Distance: 0.1 miles (0.2km)
Time: 10 minutes
Month I visited : August
Only a 3-minute drive from the ranger station brought us to the nice breeze and shade. When driving to the parking area for Cottonwood Spring, the view is abruptly changed. Driving in the desert didn’t make us think that we would see big palm trees here. When we got to the parking space, it was over 110°F. Forget about the nice breeze! I felt like I was in a dry sauna. It was so hot! There was a warning paper on the bulletin board saying “Do not die today.”
There is an easy downhill trail to the spring but it is not so steep. We were not wearing hiking shoes and did not need them if we go only to Cottonwood Spring.
When we started walking down the hill, I already felt like I was boiling there with the heat. Yes, it was extremely hot. My kids were telling me, ” Mom, I hear water sounds! There should be a river down there!!” Also, we heard birds chirping. I was getting excited
Let me get straight to the conclusion. There was no water. Aww. With the breeze and birds singing, it made all of us think that there must have been some water nearby. I just imagined that this was how people kept walking and walking to find water in the desert in the old days.
More places to see
After a short walk for a couple of minutes from the beautiful oasis, you will see this view (Picture above). The path continues to Lost Palms Oasis. Since we just wanted to have a quick peek at Joshua Tree National Park, we were not ready for this long hike which is 3.4 miles. Also on this day, the park ranger did not recommend this trail because of the heat. I heard that the best season for hiking in Joshua Tree National Park is late Fall and also early spring. When you go on a hike here, don’t forget to bring plenty of water!
History of Cottonwood Spring
It was a great experience to see the mortars left behind by the Cahuilla Indians! The mortars were made within the bedrocks which are just a few feet off the trail. It would be about a 10-minute hike from the parking lot to this bedrock and mortar!
The Mesquite trees were bright and green which was a nice contrast to the desert sand all around. This tree was a food source for the Cahuilla Indians.
Final THOUGHTS
For people like us who don’t have so much time to explore or those who may find hikes challenging, Cottonwood Spring is a nice place to peek at Joshua Tree National Park. Despite the very short walk to the destination, you should bring water with you. We didn’t stay long enough to see around because we didn’t carry water! It is unbelievably hot! Be ready if you go there in the summer!
Cottonwood, Joshua Tree National Park
Pinto Basin Rd, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
