Cotton Lake
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Cotton Lake open right now?
Alert in the area
The National Park Service lists 2 alerts for Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Creek Crossings on Medano Pass Primitive Road Have Deep and Swift Water
Park alert covering Great Sand Dunes National Park · NPS · Great Sand Dunes National Park
Speed Limits are Much Lower Inside Park than Surrounding Highways
Park alert covering Great Sand Dunes National Park · NPS · Great Sand Dunes National Park
As of · Source: NPS · Great Sand Dunes National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Cotton Lake is a 20-acre lake near Mosca, Colorado, at about 7,536 feet.
Mosca CampgroundCampingPhoto: Doss Imaging, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3 mi- Zapata Falls CampgroundCamping8.7 mi
Star DuneHikingPhoto: NPS / public domain8.7 mi- Group CampsiteCamping9.1 mi
- Sand Dunes Recreation AreaCamping9.1 mi
- Great Sand Dunes OasisCamping9.2 mi
Oasis CampgroundCampingPhoto: Thomson M, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)9.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Spruce Group - Lake IsabelLake fishing · ~1h 7m drive
- Arkansas RiverRiver fishing · ~1h 23m drive
- San Luis LakeLake fishing · ~5 min drive
- Deadman LakesLake fishing · ~27 min drive
- Winchell LakesLake fishing · ~28 min drive
- Little Sand Creek LakesLake fishing · ~28 min drive
- Upper Sand Creek LakeLake fishing · ~31 min drive
- Smith ReservoirLake fishing · ~31 min drive
- Willow Creek LakesLake fishing · ~33 min drive
- Mishak LakesLake fishing · ~34 min drive
Also worth it near here
- Mosca CampgroundCamping · ~5 min drivePhoto: Doss Imaging, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Star DuneHiking · ~15 min drive
Zapata FallsWaterfall · ~19 min drivePhoto: XenonofArcticus (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Twin PeaksSummit · ~23 min drivePhoto: David Herrera, CC BY 2.5 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Cotton Lake
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
33° / 11°
5 wet · 5 snow
Feb
39° / 16°
5 wet · 5 snow
Mar
48° / 24°
6 wet · 5 snow
Apr
56° / 29°
6 wet · 4 snow
May
66° / 38°
7 wet · 1 snow
Jun
77° / 48°
6 wet
Jul
81° / 52°
10 wet
Aug
78° / 50°
11 wet
Sep
72° / 44°
7 wet
Oct
60° / 33°
5 wet · 2 snow
Nov
45° / 22°
4 wet · 4 snow
Dec
34° / 12°
5 wet · 5 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Great Sand Dunes Np & Preserve, CO, 10.9 mi away at 8,183 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
