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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Cottonwood
Cottonwood, California
Skip as a base: a 1–2 hour stop off I-5 for Old Town and the fish hatchery, or sleep one night between Redding and Red Bluff.
Cottonwood is a small Shasta County town on I-5, about 14 miles south of Redding and 145 miles north of Sacramento. It has one historic main street, a salmon hatchery east of town and river fishing nearby. Most travellers pass through; a short stop or a single night is enough.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Cottonwood, California
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, 35 °C (95 °F)+), Dec–Feb (rain, occasional snow)Jul–Aug (hot, 95 °F (35 °C)+), Dec–Feb (rain, occasional snow)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–90 excl. bed · Mid $90–150 excl. bed · High $150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Shasta County Sheriff (non-emergency) 530-245-6540 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Fast-food meal | $10–15 |
| Sit-down meal, per person | $18–30 |
| Gallon of gas | $4.50–5.50 |
| Motel room, one night | $70–180 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- RDD · Redding Regional
- About 20 min north on I-5; small airport, limited flights — check schedules.
- SMF · Sacramento International
- About 2 h 30 min south on I-5; the main gateway for the region.
Typical fares
- I-5 Cottonwood → Redding
- about 14 miles, 20 min by car
- I-5 Cottonwood → Sacramento
- about 145 miles, 2 h 30 min by car
- Coleman hatchery from town
- about 8 miles east, 15 min by car
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the only practical way in and around: I-5 runs through town and the hatchery is about 8 miles east on Coleman Fish Hatchery Road. Old Town and Main Street are walkable once parked. No local bus network worth relying on.
See and do
Known for
- Old Town Cottonwood
- Coleman National Fish Hatchery
- Sacramento River fishing
- I-5 stop between Redding and Red Bluff
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Redding | I-5 north, about 20 min | About 25 min |
| Anderson, California | I-5 south, about 10 min | About 15 min |
| Shasta Lake | I-5 north then CA-151, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Burney | CA-299 east then CA-89, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Lakehead | I-5 north, about 45 min | About 50 min |
| French Gulch | CA-299 west, about 40 min | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Main Street / Old Town
- Motels and RV parks along Main St; walkable to Old Town and Roger's Frosty.
- Gas Point Road
- Highway-side services, markets and fuel; car needed for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the restroom? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take cards? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat: 35 °C+ afternoons in Jul–Aug; carry water.
- Rural roads east of town are unlit and have no phone signal in places.
- Wildfire season (roughly Jun–Oct): check air quality and road closures before driving.
Low street-crime risk in a town of about 3,300 people. The real risks are summer heat, wildfire smoke and unlit rural roads east of town: carry water, check air quality, and avoid driving the back roads after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cottonwood yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old Town Cottonwood
- Coleman National Fish Hatchery
- Sacramento River fishing
- I-5 stop between Redding and Red Bluff
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Shasta County — official site: www.co.shasta.ca.us/
- Coleman National Fish Hatchery (USFWS): www.fws.gov/coleman/
- Caltrans — road conditions: quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
- Wikivoyage: Cottonwood (California), revision 4739570 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4739570
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
CottonwoodCottonwood, California
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Shasta County Sheriff (non-emergency)530-245-6540
- Poison Control1-800-222-1222
No consulates in Cottonwood; nearest consulates-general in San Francisco, embassies in Washington, DC.
Rural town: fuel up before heading east on CA-299 or CA-89.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cottonwood-california). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.