2018 Map of Cottonwood Basin

About this map

Joshua Tree National Park dominates the northern half of this desert landscape, where the Little San Bernardino Mountains meet the Cottonwood Mountains. The terrain is defined by dry drainages such as Pinkham Wash and Pinkham Canyon, which descend toward the lower elevations of the Mecca Hills in the southwest. A critical piece of regional infrastructure, the Colorado River Aqueduct, traverses the center of the sheet, disappearing into the Mecca-Pass Tunnels and the Cottonwood Tunnel to navigate the complex topography.