About Cottonwood Recreation Area
Cottonwood Recreation Area is a day-use facility located in the tailwater area below Saylorville Dam. The 26,000-acre Saylorville Lake Project stretches over 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. The lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, hiking and hunting. Visitors come to Saylorville Lake for its great boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers fish for walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating. The day-use area offers nine group picnic areas with water and electric hookups. Amenities include flush toilets, a…
- Managed by: Saylorville Lake, USACE
- Where: 3 mi west of Saylorville, IA · 41.69056, -93.67472
Things to do:
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: May–Sep (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Nov–Mar.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Good to know
Verizon 5G · AT&T 5G · T-Mobile 5G
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way shows only on the best nights, if at all.
Class 6 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Dump station: 0.5 mi
Water fill-up: 5.5 mi
Propane: 4.3 mi
Camps nearby
- Bob Shetler Picnic Area 0.5 mi
- Bob Shetler Recreation Area 0.9 mi
- Cherry Glen Campground 2.8 mi
- Camp Sunnyside 3.3 mi
- Oak Grove Picnic Area 3.4 mi
- Walnut Ridge Recreation Area 3.6 mi