Cottonwood Campground

Cottonwood is another DNR campground. The main road in is primarily asphalt with some gravel sections. The last mile is single lane gravel, all of which was recently graded. Most of the sites at this campground are widely dispersed. At least two of the sites have "No Turn-Around" signs at their driveways. These sites could be the best of the bunch if you don't mind backing into them. The site nearest the pit toilet is reserved for ADA until 6 p.m. each day, then available to anyone. When we drove through, two sites were occupied, one of which looked like it might have been there awhile although the sign says 7 days.

Like other DNR sites, a Discovery Pass is required ($10 per day / $30 per year) but it must be purchased in advance. Some of the heavily used DNR sites have a vending machine for the passes (both daily & annual) and many sports stores or sports departments in large stores will have them available.

Our first intention was to stay at South Beach however on arrival we were amazed firstly at how many people there was, how long some of them looked to have been there, and finally the untidiness of the campsite in general. We quickly decided this wasn't for us and moved on.

While Kalaloch is a much nicer alternative to South Beach, again too many people for our liking, plus it was full anyhow.

Next stop was Cottonwood campground and we were pleasantly surprised as this served as an ideal base to visit the Hoh Rain Forest. Not a huge number of campsites (maybe 15 in total) with plenty of space between you and your neighbour.

We stayed near the access point to the river, there was a little drive by traffic however not a concern at all.

This is a DNR campground which we paid for online on arrival ($10/day or $30/annual).

We stayed in a 30ft 5th wheel.

Another "free" camp with your Washington Discover Pass ($30 annual if you buy from an automated pay station, otherwise $35). About 10 sites total well spaced in a jaw-droppingly beautiful rainforest with huge mature trees draped with moss. You will have to travel a couple miles of gravel road with some hills and bends to get there after the pavement ends but we had no trouble even in the rain. Some sites are huge - site 8 is big enough for 2 full size RVs, other sites are normal size.

There is a boat launch at this campground. There were multiple vehicles coming in and out to access the boat launch. Our site was on the section of road that turns off from the road leading to the boat launch so the additional traffic didn't bother us at all. Cell service was adequate.

Pit toilets on site. No garbage, dump, or water. An easy 15 minute drive to the town of Forks of Twilight fame. Check out the Thriftway if you need groceries, clothes or outdoor supplies. From Forks, Rialto beach and La Push beach are within a 30 minute drive.

This site will be hard to beat. More than enough room for a 23’ Airstream (or larger) if you don’t mind backing in. Fire pits at each site. Bathrooms were what you’d expect at a DNR site. No additional nightly fee, just the standard DNR pass which is 10/day or 30/year. The sign shows boat launch but you best have a lifted 4x4 to get there. Even if the sites are all full, there is a large parking lot and you can hike a quarter mile to the dry riverbed. This place is beautiful!

Met a super nice couple that offered their place to stay in Bow, Wa if ever we get there. Spacious camp ground and pit toilets were clean. A tree fell on a car the morning after we arrived. There was a yellow bus parked back by the river and played music all night. We were approached by a female that wanted to use our cell phone and wanted water. Our dog was on high alert and growling so we decided it best to not have her approach. This campsite is not a short drive so the female should have had a car to get down to this area. We were already packing up to leave and were pretty glad of that. Left with no incident but she was odd. She gave no reason for needing the phone or the water. We didn't have cell service but didn't really want her to know this as we felt she had ill intentions. Long road to the campsite, not so nice of roads, gravel and dirt, no ranger ever came by. We wanted to stay at South Beach or Kalaloch but both were full and many others said the same thing as they pulled in.

This was down a long gravel road. Not too sure what we were doing but found a spot we could back our 32 foot RV in. There was a big family having a kids birthday party and they were having a great time. We walked to the river. Be careful not to drive too far back as it’s a bumpy road. No issues here. It didn’t get dark until after 10:00 at night. I woke up about 10:40 and it was pitch black outside. I had never seen a night so dark, was a little spooky.

Great place to stay for free (with $35 annual discovery pass- can buy online!) while we explored Hoh Rainforest. We have been to this area a few times & just discovered this campground. Small (12 sites I think) & basic (1 vault toilet is extent of services) but beautiful rainforest setting with picnic tables & fire rings. Very quiet (road noise) but surprisingly full the nights we stayed here mid-week in mid-September.

Easy to access in our van with motorcycle on back (about 21 feet with fairly low clearance). Good AT&T reception with very clean sites!

We stayed for two days, rolled in early on a Wed and had no trouble finding a spot, but saw the park fill up by around 5:30. Good location near Ruby Beach and the Hoh Rain Forest visitor center. Down the way we could here a party scene with kids on Razer dune buggies and generators going constantly, but our little nook was mellow and clean.

Good amount of room, plenty of space between sites. Free with Discover Pass. Lots of campers appear to be here “for the duration.” But you can drive down onto the gravel river bar if you need more privacy.

Access: after Oil City Road unkept and massive potholes. Loose gravel. We made it with the TT in 2wheel drive, had it been muddy 4x4 would have been needed.

Location: no direct trails from campground otherwise 5 stars. Great location for day trips to many beaches, forests, and parks.

Cleanliness: sites were good but would not enjoy using the vaulted bathroom.

Site quality: spot 1 was very large. We did need to put blocks under tired in order to back up next to fire pit. However, this would probably be avoided if moved to the middle of the spot.

Noise: there were some noises but either they would be heard from most any campsite in the area or could have been better at another site in cottonwood. 1. We picked the spot right on the main path in and out of camp so we did hear other campers drive by. Everyone was respectful, minor noise. 2. Planes! Yes, you will hear some planes on occasion. I can't imagine this being much different for any of the nearby campgrounds.

Overall, we would absolutely recommend this site to anyone comfortable navigating the potholes and aware of limited amenities of DNR. Looking for beautiful sites and some privacy, this is the spot!