Trail Maintenance: Cottonwood Springs/Camp Young Clean Up
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Palm Springs – South Coast Field Office will be hosting TWO National Public Lands Day events this year. These are both weekend events that will focus on cleaning up well-loved BLM areas with an emphasis on Leave No Trace principles.
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- Whitewater Canyon Clean Up, 10/24/26, 8:00-11:00 AM, at the Whitewater Preserve in coordination with the Wildlands Conservancy.
- Cottonwood Springs/Camp Young Clean Up, 11/7/26 in the Chuckwalla National Monument off Cottonwood Springs Rd. 33.6735, -115.8020
In celebration of the recently designated Chuckwalla National Monument, BLM’s Palm Springs South Coast Field Office will host a National Public Lands Day event at Cottonwood Springs. Our goal is to not only educate our volunteers of the significance of the Chuckwalla National Monument but also to improve upon the recreational opportunities there. Additionally, Cottonwood Springs serves as the WWII historical site Camp Young, so we will provide an overview of this history as part of our clean up efforts.
The event will focus on cleaning up an important dispersed camping area that serves as a popular staging area for the Meccacopia Special Recreation Management Area and Joshua Tree National Park.
Meeting time is 8am and on the West side of Cottonwood Springs Rd
Participants are encouraged to bring sun protective gear such as long sleeves, hats, gloves and sunscreen. Water bottles can be re-filled at the Whitewater Preserve where there are also bathrooms available. BLM will provide trash bags, trash grabbers and removal of all collected debris.
For more information and a link to driving directions, see the website for this event here or call Noel Mollinedo, Park Ranger, Bureau of Land Management Palm Springs – South Coast Field Office at (760) 422-7831.