Cottonwood Visitor Center

Located in the Joshua Tree National Park, the Cottonwood Visitor Center provides a good starting location for park guests. The center is located at the south entrance of the park in Cottonwood Spring and is open year round from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The facilities include water, toilets and a bookstore.

The park became a U.S. National Park in 1994 and was named for the Joshua tree forests native to the area. Joshua National Park covers nearly 800,000 acres; nearly half has been declared a wilderness area. The park includes parts of both the Mojave and Colorado deserts and the Little San Bernardino Mountains passes through the southwest park border.

As the park is in the desert region, temperatures can be very hot during summer frequently going into the 100's during the day. During the winter, typical high's during the day are around 60 degrees, and in the 30's at night.

Park activities include: hiking, rock climbing, off road driving, mountain biking, horseback riding, and views of rock formations, desert terrain, Ryan Mountain ruins and a tour of the Desert Queen Ranch.

The Cottonwood Visitor Center is roughly 140 miles east of Los Angeles and 175 miles northeast of San Diego off of Interstate 10.