Cottonwood
Cottonwood Trail is a 10.6-mile 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° N, 122.8375° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 40.1090° N, 122.8601° W · 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.
Weather by month
Wilderness
- Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel 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.
Trails nearby
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.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedLower Gas Point Vmp Rx
27 mi from the trail midpoint · 254 acres
- PrescribedAlder Springs Underburn Rx
31 mi from the trail midpoint
- PrescribedHayfork Watershed Rx
37 mi from the trail midpoint
- PrescribedFive-6 Understory Rx
47 mi from the trail midpoint
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official 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 every Sunday. Sections appear on the first run after the forest publishes more.
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Cottonwood Trail?
The Forest Service records 10.6 miles under this name in Mendocino National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.
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° N, 122.8375° W and ends at 40.1090° N, 122.8601° W. 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. The camping section lists it with the season each forest publishes.
Who manages the Cottonwood Trail?
Mendocino National Forest, Forest Service unit 0508. The trail is in California.
Is there a fire near the Cottonwood Trail?
The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Lower Gas Point Vmp Rx at 27 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
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 November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.