Cottonwood Pass Walk-in Campground

About

Cottonwood Pass Walk-in Campground occupies a high-elevation lodgepole pine forest setting in the Horseshoe Meadow Recreation Area of Inyo National Forest. At 10,000 feet, the 18 walk-in sites serve as staging for wilderness trips via Cottonwood Pass into Golden Trout Wilderness, with access to John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia-Kings Canyon backcountry. The campground sits at the end of Horseshoe Meadow Road, a seasonal route that typically opens late May and closes in November due to snow. Each site includes a bear-proof food storage locker (48"x30"x36"), tent pad, picnic table, and metal fire ring. Vault toilets and potable water from a hand pump are available. This is an active bear area with mandatory use of bear boxes. Wood gathering is prohibited; bring your own or purchase in Lone Pine. Quiet hours are 10pm to 6am. The campground operates first-come, first-served with self-registration on arrival. A strict one-night stay limit is enforced to facilitate turnover for wilderness permit holders staging their trips. Wilderness permits are required for overnight trips into adjacent wilderness areas and can be obtained through Recreation.gov or the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine.

Directions

From Lone Pine, turn west at the stoplight onto Whitney Portal Road. Follow for 3 miles, then turn south onto Horseshoe Meadow Road. Continue 24 miles to road's end at the campground. High-clearance vehicle not required but road is winding with significant elevation gain.