Cottonwood Springs (Death Valley)

Where the spring sits on the loop

Cottonwood Springs is a named seasonal water source in the Cottonwood Mountains on the west side of Death Valley, on the popular Cottonwood–Marble Canyon backpacking loop. The full loop runs 26–28 miles with no maintained trail, roughly 3,882 feet of cumulative elevation gain, and typically two to three nights. Difficulty is high. Expect route-finding, 4x4 access, no signs, brush, wash walking, and dryfalls.

From CA-190 at Stovepipe Wells, the approach turns onto Cottonwood Marble Road (signed near the airstrip). The first eight miles are usually high-clearance territory—deep sand, washboard. Sedans do not belong here. After that, the road drops into a wash; 4x4 is needed for deep gravel and rock for a few more miles to the Cottonwood/Marble junction. Cottonwood Canyon Road continues another 8.5 miles of 4x4 to road’s end among cottonwoods. Marble Canyon Road is a shorter 4x4 spur useful for water caches. Always recheck park road conditions after storms—these corridors close when flooded and reopen only after work.

Water, season, and wildlife

Park guidance treats Cottonwood Springs as the most reliable water point on the loop (UTM given on the NPS loop page). Fill up there; later sources can fail. Reliability is seasonal. Springs on this route are usually dependable from about December through March. Summer and fall travelers should not assume flow. All water needs filtering or treatment. Other named points include seasonal flow near Cottonwood Canyon road’s end and a less reliable spring in Deadhorse Canyon.

The oasis character—cottonwoods, streamside vegetation, and open water—pulls desert wildlife. Bighorn, birds, and feral burros or horses leave sign. Burro trails near the spring can help locate the dense vegetation when the canyon opens and the footpath grows faint. Camp at least 100 feet from any water (100 yards for pack animals). That buffer protects wildlife access and reduces trampled banks. Open fires are banned; use a gas stove. Human waste must be packed out or buried deep and well away from water and camps.

Permits and group rules

Overnight use of the Cottonwood–Marble loop requires a backcountry permit. Permits are online only through Recreation.gov, available up to six months ahead, with a permit fee. Roadside camping in designated Cottonwood/Marble sites also needs a permit and fee online. Group size is capped at 12 people (plus limited pack stock and vehicles). Larger parties must split and stay half a mile apart for camping, hiking, and cooking. Day hikers skip the overnight permit but still need solid navigation skills and enough water for a desert canyon day.

NPS supplies GPX and KML tracks as supplements only. Carry map and compass for trail-less wilderness. Cell service is effectively absent once off pavement.

Route notes that matter at the spring

From Cottonwood Canyon road’s end, the walk up-canyon to Cottonwood Springs is about 3.5 miles through cottonwoods and multiple water crossings when flow is up. Near 3.3 miles, a steep, narrow path climbs the south wall over a rocky outcrop into a forested pocket, then continues. When the canyon opens and green thins, a large cairn means you have gone too far. The faint path to the spring leaves north (right) toward denser vegetation. Campsites sit just north of the spring—outside the 100-foot buffer.

Beyond the spring the route heads north up a long valley past early-20th-century desert markers toward a saddle, then into Deadhorse and down Marble Canyon’s narrows—some of the park’s best limestone corridors, with a chokestone bypass on the east wall. Day hikers who only want the spring can reverse from road’s end without committing to the full loop. The same 4x4 drive, heat, and flash-flood risk still apply. Never camp in dry washes. This drainage system moves debris violently when storms hit the Cottonwoods.