Cottonwood crater

The Cottonwood crater is a landmark created by a nuclear warhead detonation, overlooking the Cottonwood Overlook and the gecko-filled valley stretching towards the Colorado. It is found in Fallout: New Vegas.

Layout
The crater was created by one of the few nuclear warheads that managed to get through Robert House's missile defense system. The fallout embedded in the blackened, vitrified soil has irradiated the water that gathered up in the crater, while the blast itself opened another exit from the Fire Root cavern below. There are several golden geckos enjoying the highly irradiated waters of the crater (peaking at roughly 20 rads/s) together with a dead prospector carrying a Fat Man bobbing in the waters.

The crater is nearly unreachable in normal ways, except by scaling the cliffs by a combination of jumping and running. The reward is a back entrance into the cavern, almost directly into the arms of the legendary fire gecko and its spawn.

Notable loot

 * Fat Man and reinforced leather armor: On the dead prospector at the northern edge.

Bugs

 * As a marginal area at the edge of the world, the environment geometry on the edge can be problematic. The collision on the rocks and soil is not aligned correctly and it's possible to get trapped under the rocks in te environment. The invisible walls circling the area can also trap the player, leaving fast travel as the only option.

Appearances
Cottonwood crater appears in Fallout: New Vegas.