Best National Parks to Visit in December

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

December in short

Mild weather and fewer people: White Sands (58%, 56°F).

Most visitors per day in December: Great Smoky Mountains (about 22,193), Joshua Tree (about 10,280), Grand Canyon (about 9,248).

Park · in DecemberCrowdsHigh / low
White Sands◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate58% of its peak · 1,739/day56° / 22°F14° / -5°C
Big Bend○ Mild weather, busy Busy63% of its peak · 1,977/day62° / 38°F16° / 3°C
Saguaro○ Mild weather, busy Busy65% of its peak · 2,789/day66° / 40°F19° / 5°C
Everglades○ Mild weather, busy Busy74% of its peak · 2,308/day80° / 59°F27° / 15°C
Death Valley○ Mild weather, busy Busy78% of its peak · 4,005/day66° / 41°F19° / 5°C
Joshua Tree○ Mild weather, busy Busy79% of its peak · 10,280/day62° / 40°F17° / 4°C
Acadia× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 502/day38° / 22°F3° / -5°C
Denali× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 79/day15° / -6°F-10° / -21°C
Glacier× Cold Very quiet3% of its peak · 654/day29° / 20°F-2° / -7°C
Yellowstone× Cold Very quiet4% of its peak · 1,152/day26° / 1°F-3° / -17°C
Crater Lake× Cold Very quiet4% of its peak · 208/day33° / 19°F0° / -7°C
Mount Rainier× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 675/day33° / 22°F0° / -6°C
Badlands× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 399/day39° / 17°F4° / -9°C
Lassen Volcanic× Cold Very quiet6% of its peak · 232/day40° / 22°F4° / -6°C
Grand Teton× Cold Very quiet7% of its peak · 1,825/day28° / 4°F-2° / -15°C
Shenandoah× Cool Very quiet10% of its peak · 1,059/day47° / 28°F8° / -2°C
Bryce Canyon× Cold Quiet16% of its peak · 1,551/day37° / 17°F3° / -8°C
Capitol Reef× Cool Quiet16% of its peak · 1,144/day40° / 21°F5° / -6°C
Rocky Mountain× Cold Quiet17% of its peak · 4,116/day36° / 16°F2° / -9°C
Kings Canyon× Cool Quiet17% of its peak · 720/day46° / 25°F8° / -4°C
Canyonlands× Cold Quiet17% of its peak · 636/day37° / 23°F3° / -5°C
Olympic× Cool Quiet19% of its peak · 3,831/day41° / 33°F5° / 0°C
Redwood× Cool Quiet22% of its peak · 1,248/day54° / 38°F12° / 3°C
Arches× Cool Quiet26% of its peak · 1,599/day42° / 24°F5° / -5°C
Yosemite× Cool Quiet27% of its peak · 5,211/day46° / 28°F8° / -2°C
Sequoia× Cold Quiet27% of its peak · 1,929/day37° / 17°F3° / -8°C
Cuyahoga Valley× Cool Quiet31% of its peak · 4,106/day41° / 27°F5° / -3°C
Zion× Cool Moderate37% of its peak · 7,503/day52° / 29°F11° / -1°C
Great Smoky Mountains× Cool Moderate47% of its peak · 22,193/day50° / 29°F10° / -1°C
Grand Canyon× Cool Moderate58% of its peak · 9,248/day43° / 18°F6° / -8°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.