Best National Parks to Visit in August

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

August in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Shenandoah (55%, 83°F).

Most visitors per day in August: Great Smoky Mountains (about 35,599), Yellowstone (about 28,329), Acadia (about 26,395).

Park · in AugustCrowdsHigh / low
Shenandoah◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate55% of its peak · 5,998/day83° / 61°F29° / 16°C
Great Smoky Mountains○ Mild weather, busy Busy75% of its peak · 35,599/day82° / 62°F28° / 16°C
Crater Lake○ Mild weather, busy Busy77% of its peak · 4,401/day69° / 42°F21° / 5°C
Bryce Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Busy82% of its peak · 7,838/day78° / 50°F25° / 10°C
Lassen Volcanic○ Mild weather, busy Busy84% of its peak · 3,242/day78° / 45°F26° / 7°C
Rocky Mountain○ Mild weather, busy Peak86% of its peak · 21,142/day78° / 46°F25° / 8°C
Redwood○ Mild weather, busy Peak87% of its peak · 4,863/day66° / 51°F19° / 10°C
Kings Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak87% of its peak · 3,668/day78° / 52°F26° / 11°C
Yellowstone○ Mild weather, busy Peak89% of its peak · 28,329/day75° / 37°F24° / 3°C
Sequoia○ Mild weather, busy Peak92% of its peak · 6,611/day76° / 44°F24° / 7°C
Cuyahoga Valley○ Mild weather, busy Peak92% of its peak · 12,007/day84° / 62°F29° / 17°C
Grand Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak93% of its peak · 14,861/day82° / 50°F28° / 10°C
Grand Teton○ Mild weather, busy Peak93% of its peak · 23,823/day81° / 42°F27° / 5°C
Glacier○ Mild weather, busy Peak94% of its peak · 23,266/day79° / 48°F26° / 9°C
Denali○ Mild weather, busy Peak97% of its peak · 4,586/day60° / 43°F16° / 6°C
Mount Rainier○ Mild weather, busy Peak98% of its peak · 13,054/day64° / 45°F18° / 7°C
Acadia○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 26,395/day78° / 60°F26° / 15°C
Olympic○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 20,203/day74° / 52°F24° / 11°C
Big Bend× Hot Quiet17% of its peak · 521/day91° / 69°F33° / 21°C
Saguaro× Very hot Quiet24% of its peak · 1,018/day99° / 75°F37° / 24°C
Joshua Tree× Very hot Quiet35% of its peak · 4,516/day103° / 76°F39° / 25°C
White Sands× Hot Moderate45% of its peak · 1,335/day95° / 64°F35° / 18°C
Capitol Reef× Hot Moderate52% of its peak · 3,628/day88° / 63°F31° / 17°C
Canyonlands× Hot Moderate54% of its peak · 2,052/day88° / 66°F31° / 19°C
Everglades× Hot Moderate57% of its peak · 1,782/day93° / 74°F34° / 24°C
Death Valley× Very hot Busy60% of its peak · 3,081/day116° / 89°F47° / 32°C
Zion× Very hot Busy76% of its peak · 15,310/day98° / 69°F37° / 20°C
Arches× Very hot Busy77% of its peak · 4,764/day96° / 68°F35° / 20°C
Badlands× Hot Peak85% of its peak · 6,857/day90° / 60°F32° / 16°C
Yosemite× Hot Peak99% of its peak · 19,344/day89° / 57°F32° / 14°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.