The Cottonwood Trailhead is located in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 30 minutes west of Las Vegas, but not in the Scenic Loop Road area. The trailhead is located on Highway 160, west of the intersection with Highway 159 (West Charleston Blvd). This trailhead is not in the fee area.

From town, drive out to Red Rocks. From West Charleston at the entrance to the Scenic Loop Road (Table 1, Site 0519), continue west on Charleston Blvd (Hwy 159) all the way past Blue Diamond town to Highway 160 (Site 0848). Turn right onto Highway 160, towards Pahrump, and drive west for 5.9 miles. Watch for a broad, dirt road on the left, a vault toilet in the distance (200 yards out), and a paved, slow-vehicle passing zone on the right; there is no sign on the highway. Turn left onto the dirt Cottonwood Valley Road (Site 0849) and drive south about 200 yards to the large, dirt parking area on the right (Site 1073). Park here; this is the trailhead.

Link to trailhead map.

The left turn from Highway 160 onto Cottonwood Valley Road can be very dangerous because drivers coming down the hill often are moving over 80 mph and drivers going up the hill already are annoyed by people driving too slowly and are prone to passing despite the double yellow lines. It might be best to pull into the slow-vehicle turnout and wait for traffic to clear before making the left turn.

The Cottonwood Trailhead primarily is used by mountain bike riders to access the Cottonwood Valley South bike trail system; however, it also provides access to miles of fairly easy hiking.

Trails: Birdspring Mountain, Dinosaur Teeth, Dead Horse Loop, Bonnie and Clyde, Lombard Crash Site.