Agency-listedUSFSFee
Cottonwood Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 38.78280, -106.29021
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Cottonwood Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,570 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cottonwood LakeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Cottonwood Lake · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery6 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- +Urgent care10 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- DDump11 mi
- WWater16 mi
- MMechanic23 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- AAir-up24 mi
- PPropane60 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Cottonwood Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,570 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
38.78280, -106.29021
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Cottonwood Lake · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBuena Vista · ~8.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPhillips 66 · ~9.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~10.9 mi
- GroceriesSt. Elmo General Store · ~6.2 mi
- PharmacySalida Pharmacy & Fountain · ~23.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicValley Wide Buena Vista · ~9.5 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~9.4 mi
EV charging — from Cottonwood Lake · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger9.4 mi straight-line NE — Electric Era Charging Station, Buena Vista, CO (at a public site) · ELECTRIC_ERA · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach7 within 25 mi · 21 within 50 · 272 within 100 · 469 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO10.0 mi — SDCEA SOUTH MAIN L3, Buena Vista
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.4 mi — BVPL EV1 BUENA VISTA 1 · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: Mon: 8:30am-4:00pm; Tue: 8:30am-4:00pm; Wed: 8:30am-4:00pm; Thu: 8:30am-4:00pm; Fri: 8:30am-4:00pm; Sat: 8:30am-4:00pm; Sun: 8:30am-4:00pm
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort - Tesla Destination, Nathrop, 7.7 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 428659 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cottonwood Lake · Pike and San Isabel National Forests · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomCottonwood Lake · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomCottonwood Lake · ~0.7 mi E · USFS
- RestroomCottonwood Lake · ~0.7 mi E · USFS
- RestroomAvalanche · ~2.2 mi N · USFS
Open Cottonwood Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Cottonwood Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Collegiate Peaks~2.5 mi · fee
- Cascade~5.5 mi · fee
- Iron City~5.7 mi · fee
- Chalk Lake~5.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Cottonwood Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cottonwood Lake are set by Pike and San Isabel National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Saint Elmo at 10,420 ft, about 7 miles away. It sits about 850 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Cottonwood Lake
Area rules
Sites must be occupied the first night of payment
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-22: $22 per site per night, confirmed by two sources: the Pike-San Isabel NF campground page (updated Feb 3 2026) and recreation.gov, which charges $22 for a standard non-electric site across the 2026 season (May 15 to Oct 11). Two vehicles or one RV per site are included; a third vehicle is $10, and day use without camping is $10. A self-service fee tube is available and sites must be occupied the first night of payment. Salida Ranger District -- note this is the Buena Vista-area Cottonwood Lake, NOT the GMUG campground of the same name near Collbran. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/cottonwood-lake-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10165240.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Cottonwood Lake
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Cottonwood Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →How to read this page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →