Best National Parks to Visit in April

30 most visited US national parks, sorted by weather and crowds in April

April in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Shenandoah (42%, 66°F), Yosemite (46%, 63°F), Redwood (53%, 59°F).

Most visitors per day in April: Great Smoky Mountains (about 30,085), Zion (about 16,768), Grand Canyon (about 14,253).

Park · in AprilCrowdsHigh / low
ShenandoahBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate42% of its peak · 4,548/day66° / 41°F19° / 5°C
Yosemite◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate46% of its peak · 9,016/day63° / 38°F17° / 3°C
Redwood◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate53% of its peak · 2,989/day59° / 43°F15° / 6°C
Cuyahoga ValleyBest month○ Mild weather, busy Busy62% of its peak · 8,053/day62° / 40°F17° / 4°C
Great Smoky Mountains○ Mild weather, busy Busy64% of its peak · 30,085/day69° / 42°F20° / 6°C
Big Bend○ Mild weather, busy Busy71% of its peak · 2,239/day82° / 54°F28° / 12°C
Capitol Reef○ Mild weather, busy Busy73% of its peak · 5,086/day65° / 39°F18° / 4°C
Saguaro○ Mild weather, busy Busy77% of its peak · 3,323/day83° / 53°F28° / 12°C
White Sands○ Mild weather, busy Busy80% of its peak · 2,389/day79° / 41°F26° / 5°C
Zion○ Mild weather, busy Busy83% of its peak · 16,768/day73° / 44°F23° / 7°C
Arches○ Mild weather, busy Busy85% of its peak · 5,253/day70° / 44°F21° / 7°C
Joshua Tree○ Mild weather, busy Peak88% of its peak · 11,413/day81° / 54°F27° / 12°C
Grand Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak89% of its peak · 14,253/day61° / 29°F16° / -2°C
Canyonlands○ Mild weather, busy Peak90% of its peak · 3,420/day62° / 40°F17° / 5°C
Badlands△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet16% of its peak · 1,310/day62° / 35°F17° / 2°C
Olympic△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet26% of its peak · 5,246/day56° / 38°F13° / 3°C
Denali× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 234/day38° / 20°F4° / -7°C
Glacier× Cool Very quiet6% of its peak · 1,510/day53° / 31°F11° / 0°C
Mount Rainier× Cool Very quiet7% of its peak · 910/day40° / 26°F4° / -3°C
Yellowstone× Cool Very quiet8% of its peak · 2,534/day46° / 19°F8° / -7°C
Lassen Volcanic× Cool Very quiet9% of its peak · 338/day50° / 28°F10° / -2°C
Grand Teton× Cool Very quiet10% of its peak · 2,646/day50° / 24°F10° / -5°C
Crater Lake× Cool Very quiet10% of its peak · 571/day40° / 23°F5° / -5°C
Acadia× Cool Very quiet13% of its peak · 3,441/day53° / 35°F12° / 2°C
Rocky Mountain× Cool Quiet22% of its peak · 5,442/day52° / 26°F11° / -3°C
Kings Canyon× Cool Quiet30% of its peak · 1,281/day52° / 30°F11° / -1°C
Sequoia× Cool Moderate45% of its peak · 3,245/day50° / 26°F10° / -4°C
Bryce Canyon× Cool Busy66% of its peak · 6,332/day54° / 29°F12° / -2°C
Everglades× Hot Busy81% of its peak · 2,539/day86° / 62°F30° / 17°C
Death Valley× Hot Peak95% of its peak · 4,866/day91° / 65°F33° / 18°C

◎ mild weather (average high 55–85°F) and under 60% of the park's busiest month · ○ mild but busy · △ mild but under 30% of peak, often seasonal closures · × cold or hot. “Best month” = this is the park's best balance of crowds and weather. Crowds compare each park with its own busiest month, so a “quiet” big park can still be busier than a small one — check visitors per day.

Weather is a 30-year average at one station per park (often the park headquarters). Mountain roads and high trails can still be snowbound in shoulder months, so check each park's current conditions on nps.gov before you go.

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.