When are national parks quiet — and still pleasant?

Month-by-month crowds and weather for the 30 most visited US national parks, from official NPS visitor counts and NOAA 30-year weather averages.

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Crowd calendar: 30 parks × 12 months

Each number is visitors per day as a % of that park's busiest month (100). Darker = busier. The boxed cell is the park's best balance of crowds and weather.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Great Smoky Mountains	26	33	55	64	75	94	95	75	75	100	61	47
Zion	22	27	67	83	93	100	90	76	81	82	51	37
Yellowstone	5	5	3	8	55	95	100	89	89	33	2	4
Grand Canyon	33	39	72	89	97	97	100	93	87	83	63	58
Yosemite	22	22	25	46	72	97	100	99	90	76	40	27
Rocky Mountain	15	15	20	22	42	83	100	86	83	52	20	17
Acadia	2	2	3	13	41	78	99	100	85	71	9	2
Grand Teton	7	8	8	10	42	89	100	93	80	35	7	7
Olympic	16	20	27	26	49	62	88	100	84	53	37	19
Glacier	2	2	3	6	28	75	100	94	79	18	3	3
Cuyahoga Valley	25	29	47	62	82	92	100	92	78	79	42	31
Joshua Tree	65	77	100	88	58	42	33	35	39	52	76	79
Bryce Canyon	9	11	28	66	85	96	88	82	100	71	23	16
Shenandoah	6	13	23	42	49	54	58	55	47	100	48	10
Mount Rainier	5	5	5	7	22	57	100	98	56	35	7	5
Arches	17	30	76	85	100	97	84	77	85	77	46	26
Capitol Reef	9	10	44	73	100	85	57	52	90	86	31	16
Sequoia	20	21	31	45	63	67	100	92	71	55	36	27
Death Valley	65	87	100	95	73	56	59	60	50	54	73	78
Redwood	27	30	39	53	73	99	100	87	81	58	33	22
Badlands	4	5	11	16	45	93	100	85	60	29	9	5
Saguaro	69	87	100	77	49	33	25	24	28	39	56	65
Canyonlands	7	16	66	90	100	77	58	54	87	79	36	17
Kings Canyon	16	14	17	30	74	92	100	87	78	52	27	17
Everglades	92	100	100	81	57	60	64	57	42	34	60	74
White Sands	43	48	100	80	68	62	61	45	49	59	52	58
Crater Lake	3	5	7	10	20	46	100	77	55	28	6	4
Big Bend	51	58	100	71	44	26	20	17	26	51	67	63
Denali	1	2	5	5	28	92	100	97	38	3	2	2
Lassen Volcanic	7	7	6	9	26	68	100	84	63	40	9	6

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Best time to visit each park
30 parks, month by month
National parks by month
Where to go in each month
Least visited national parks
All 63 parks, 2025 counts
Most visited national parks
Ranked, with change since 2019

Sources. Visitor counts: National Park Service, Visitor Use Statistics (recreation visits, final figures through 2025; typical months use 2022–2025). Weather: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Both are U.S. Government works in the public domain. How we calculate.

Park Months is an independent site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or NOAA.