Best National Parks to Visit in February

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

February in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Redwood (30%, 56°F), White Sands (48%, 63°F), Big Bend (58%, 66°F).

Most visitors per day in February: Great Smoky Mountains (about 15,694), Joshua Tree (about 10,049), Grand Canyon (about 6,209).

Park · in FebruaryCrowdsHigh / low
RedwoodBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Quiet30% of its peak · 1,700/day56° / 39°F13° / 4°C
White Sands◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate48% of its peak · 1,444/day63° / 27°F17° / -3°C
Big Bend◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate58% of its peak · 1,842/day66° / 41°F19° / 5°C
Joshua Tree○ Mild weather, busy Busy77% of its peak · 10,049/day67° / 44°F20° / 7°C
Death Valley○ Mild weather, busy Peak87% of its peak · 4,469/day74° / 49°F23° / 9°C
Saguaro○ Mild weather, busy Peak87% of its peak · 3,729/day69° / 43°F21° / 6°C
Everglades○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 3,127/day81° / 56°F27° / 14°C
Zion△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet27% of its peak · 5,435/day58° / 34°F14° / 1°C
Glacier× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 609/day34° / 19°F1° / -7°C
Acadia× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 495/day35° / 18°F2° / -8°C
Denali× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 112/day25° / 5°F-4° / -15°C
Yellowstone× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 1,735/day31° / 2°F0° / -17°C
Mount Rainier× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 616/day34° / 23°F1° / -5°C
Crater Lake× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 281/day34° / 19°F1° / -7°C
Badlands× Cool Very quiet5% of its peak · 413/day41° / 16°F5° / -9°C
Lassen Volcanic× Cool Very quiet7% of its peak · 277/day42° / 22°F5° / -6°C
Grand Teton× Cold Very quiet8% of its peak · 2,126/day32° / 6°F0° / -14°C
Capitol Reef× Cool Very quiet10% of its peak · 711/day47° / 26°F8° / -4°C
Bryce Canyon× Cold Very quiet11% of its peak · 1,082/day39° / 18°F4° / -8°C
Shenandoah× Cool Very quiet13% of its peak · 1,404/day47° / 26°F9° / -4°C
Kings Canyon× Cool Very quiet14% of its peak · 591/day46° / 25°F8° / -4°C
Rocky Mountain× Cold Very quiet15% of its peak · 3,668/day38° / 16°F3° / -9°C
Canyonlands× Cool Quiet16% of its peak · 598/day43° / 27°F6° / -3°C
Olympic× Cool Quiet20% of its peak · 4,100/day44° / 33°F7° / 0°C
Sequoia× Cool Quiet21% of its peak · 1,477/day41° / 18°F5° / -8°C
Yosemite× Cool Quiet22% of its peak · 4,360/day51° / 30°F11° / -1°C
Cuyahoga Valley× Cold Quiet29% of its peak · 3,762/day40° / 22°F4° / -5°C
Arches× Cool Quiet30% of its peak · 1,848/day50° / 29°F10° / -2°C
Great Smoky Mountains× Cool Quiet33% of its peak · 15,694/day51° / 29°F10° / -2°C
Grand Canyon× Cool Moderate39% of its peak · 6,209/day46° / 21°F8° / -6°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.