Cottonwood
Cottonwood Trail is a 10.6 miles trail in Mendocino National Forest, California. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Mendocino National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 40.0470, -122.8375 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 40.1090, -122.8601 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.
The trail
| Length | 10.6 miles |
| Type | land trail |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 9W01 |
| Forest | Mendocino National Forest (unit 0508) |
| States | California |
| Detail published | centerline only |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Wilderness
- Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness WildernessFS · the whole line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Mendocino National Forest publishes this trail as a centerline only, with no class, surface or allowed uses. What is here is the name, the length and the line. The forest office has the rest.
Checked nightly. Sections appear as soon as the forest publishes more.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Cottonwood Trail?
10.6 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Mendocino National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Cottonwood Trail?
Mendocino National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Cottonwood Trail start?
The line begins at 40.0470, -122.8375 and ends at 40.1090, -122.8601. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Cottonwood Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Where can I camp near the Cottonwood Trail?
Tomhead Saddle Campground (2.7 mi) is within five miles of the trail.
Who manages the Cottonwood Trail?
Mendocino National Forest, Forest Service unit 0508. The trail is in California.
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named COTTONWOOD in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0508. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.