Cottonwood Campground
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Write a Review E. River Rd. Medora, ND 58645 701-623-4466 Reservations: 877-444-6777 Official WebsiteGPS: 46.9499, -103.5313
Overview of Cottonwood Campground
Campsites can be reserved online. First-come, first-served Oct. - April. Some sites can accommodate RVs up to 55 ft. max.
Last Price Paid: $14
Reported by wherevertheyland on 8/20/2023
Longest RV Reported: 41 feet (Class A)
Reported by Richard on 9/21/2021
Number of Sites 75
Reservations yes
Elevation 2,230 ft / 679 m
Max Length 45 ft
Tent Camping Yes
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 701-623-4466
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Reviews of Cottonwood Campground 35 people have reviewed this location.
“Lovely campground in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park with some of the longest pull-through sites I’ve ever seen.”
Reviewed 8/18/2016
Nightly rate: | $14 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 9 |
RV Length: | 33' |
Cottonwood Campground is divided into two loops, pull-through sites in one and back-in sites in the other. Honestly, you could easily have parked three or four Class A’s nose to tail in a couple of the pull-through sites. The back-ins were not as spacious. Even numbered sites are first come/first serve and the odd numbered sites can be... more
Cottonwood Campground is divided into two loops, pull-through sites in one and back-in sites in the other. Honestly, you could easily have parked three or four Class A’s nose to tail in a couple of the pull-through sites. The back-ins were not as spacious. Even numbered sites are first come/first serve and the odd numbered sites can be reserved. The campground does fill up, especially on the weekends.
We were in site #9 which was huge and fairly level pull-through. The only knock is that the access road is one-way with pull-through sites are on both sides of the road, so pulling into the sites on the left (odd # sites) puts your door/awning facing the road instead of the campsite. It took some very creative maneuvering to get us in “backwards”, but it was well worth it. Lovely view across the Little Missouri River. Smaller rigs could easily pull in the “out” side of the pull-through to resolve the orientation issue.
The campground has no hookups. Potable water is available, but no dump station. There are bathroom stations, but no showers. Most of the sites are well separated with lots of vegetation between for privacy. We could not even see our neighbors. Verizon varied from 3bars of 3G to 1 bar of 4G, boosted we managed 2 bars of 4G.
There is a large day use/picnic area adjacent to the campground and Ranger programs nightly in the amphitheater. We enjoyed the visiting bison who seemed content to graze and pose for pictures. There is a 36-mile scenic drive through the park, we timed it for sunset viewing at Buck Hill. Beautiful! We also did the West Loop trail (about 12 miles) and encountered bison, wild horses and lots of prairie dogs.
The campground is five miles from the park entrance, which is in the small, cowboy-themed town of Medora. During the summer the Medora Musical, a local variety show in a huge outdoor amphitheater, is a really big deal. It came highly recommended so we gave it a try. If you like small town, corn pone humor this is your show. The cast was very talented and we enjoyed the parts where they covered classic C&W tunes, but much of the show is a promotion for Medora goods/services. Overall it was ok, but we wouldn’t do it again. Your mileage may vary.
Teddi & Roger would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 8/15/2016
Nightly rate: | $14 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 8 |
RV Length: | 30' (Travel Trailer) |
This is a good National Park campground. Sites are level and mostly shaded with cottonwood and fir trees, with reasonable spacing. Half the park is reservable, the rest is first-come, first-served. In mid August we found the park to be full every day and were lucky to get the last site without a reservation on the day we arrived. ... more
This is a good National Park campground. Sites are level and mostly shaded with cottonwood and fir trees, with reasonable spacing. Half the park is reservable, the rest is first-come, first-served. In mid August we found the park to be full every day and were lucky to get the last site without a reservation on the day we arrived.
The water is the only really bad thing about this park. Smells and tastes of sulfur, and comes out of the spigot with a yellow tint.
If you are planning to rely on solar power, keep in mind that the dense tree cover will make this a challenge in most sites.
Voice calls on Verizon were iffy in some spots, fine in others. Data was slow without a booster, and adequate with a booster.
Park staff were serious about maintaining quiet, which is nice. A neighbor was told to shut off his dual Honda 2000 generators and work with only one at a time.
There is no dump station. You can pay $5 to dump at the Red Trail RV park in Medora.
Since it's a 5 mile drive to town, and the entrance road is bumpy/slow, you will probably want to minimize trips into Medora for supplies. Also note that there's a $20 park entrance fee if you don't have a parks pass.
RL would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A wonderfully peaceful place to camp”
Reviewed 7/24/2016
Nightly rate: | $14 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 17 |
We decided to camp here based on Campendium reviews and were not disappointed. The campsite is located on the banks of the Little Missouri river in, as the name suggests, a grove of cottonwoods. The sites are well spaced and are surrounded by vegetation. Some of the sites would be a tight squeeze for larger RVs, but #17 worked well for... more
We decided to camp here based on Campendium reviews and were not disappointed. The campsite is located on the banks of the Little Missouri river in, as the name suggests, a grove of cottonwoods. The sites are well spaced and are surrounded by vegetation. Some of the sites would be a tight squeeze for larger RVs, but #17 worked well for our 27' trailer. The campground is some 5-miles from the park entrance over a rather rough road, but the reward is peace and quiet in this remarkable corner of the world. We reserved our campsite ahead of time through recreation.gov so as to secure a large enough site, but we noticed that even in July there were many sites available.
RM would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Private & Peaceful”
Reviewed 6/14/2016
Nightly rate: | $14 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 38 |
RV Length: | 25' (Travel Trailer) |
This was a gem of campground. The sites are large and well spaced with plenty of trees providing privacy. In general, the pull-thru sites are bigger and well-suited for larger RVs, while the back-ins are best for tents or small RVs. We picked a pull-thru with a cute little sitting area in the trees and a driveway so long we could have ... more
This was a gem of campground. The sites are large and well spaced with plenty of trees providing privacy. In general, the pull-thru sites are bigger and well-suited for larger RVs, while the back-ins are best for tents or small RVs. We picked a pull-thru with a cute little sitting area in the trees and a driveway so long we could have fit two more RVs in there with us!
Half the sites here are reservable, but we showed up without a reservation and found lots of open sites. At the time of our visit the campground was never more than half full. Twice we saw bison roaming around the campground. They seem to especially enjoy the large open meadow in front of sites 68-76. If you want an up-close wildlife encounter these are the sites to be in.
WatsonsWander would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lovely!”
Reviewed 1/3/2015
Nightly rate: | $10 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
All sites are on a first come first serve basis, and we arrived early enough in the day to snag a very spacious pull through with lots of privacy. It was a delightful stay exploring North Dakota’s badlands, and we really enjoyed the campground quite a bit.
Technomadia would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Site Amenities
- big rig
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- group sites
- restrooms: flush
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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