Best National Parks to Visit in January

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

January in short

Mild weather and fewer people: White Sands (43%, 57°F), Big Bend (51%, 61°F).

Most visitors per day in January: Great Smoky Mountains (about 12,111), Joshua Tree (about 8,409), Grand Canyon (about 5,250).

Park · in JanuaryCrowdsHigh / low
White SandsBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate43% of its peak · 1,286/day57° / 22°F14° / -5°C
Big Bend◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate51% of its peak · 1,602/day61° / 37°F16° / 3°C
Joshua Tree○ Mild weather, busy Busy65% of its peak · 8,409/day63° / 42°F17° / 5°C
Death ValleyBest month○ Mild weather, busy Busy65% of its peak · 3,305/day67° / 42°F20° / 6°C
Saguaro○ Mild weather, busy Busy69% of its peak · 2,954/day66° / 41°F19° / 5°C
Everglades○ Mild weather, busy Peak92% of its peak · 2,862/day78° / 55°F26° / 13°C
Denali× Cold Very quiet1% of its peak · 65/day14° / -5°F-10° / -21°C
Glacier× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 588/day30° / 19°F-1° / -7°C
Acadia× Cold Very quiet2% of its peak · 472/day32° / 15°F0° / -9°C
Crater Lake× Cold Very quiet3% of its peak · 174/day33° / 20°F1° / -7°C
Badlands× Cold Very quiet4% of its peak · 353/day37° / 14°F3° / -10°C
Yellowstone× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 1,474/day28° / 1°F-2° / -17°C
Mount Rainier× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 687/day34° / 24°F1° / -5°C
Shenandoah× Cool Very quiet6% of its peak · 645/day43° / 23°F6° / -5°C
Grand Teton× Cold Very quiet7% of its peak · 1,906/day27° / 1°F-3° / -17°C
Lassen Volcanic× Cool Very quiet7% of its peak · 274/day41° / 22°F5° / -6°C
Canyonlands× Cold Very quiet7% of its peak · 279/day37° / 22°F3° / -5°C
Bryce Canyon× Cold Very quiet9% of its peak · 832/day37° / 17°F3° / -8°C
Capitol Reef× Cool Very quiet9% of its peak · 598/day41° / 20°F5° / -6°C
Rocky Mountain× Cold Quiet15% of its peak · 3,709/day37° / 16°F3° / -9°C
Olympic× Cool Quiet16% of its peak · 3,197/day41° / 33°F5° / 0°C
Kings Canyon× Cool Quiet16% of its peak · 658/day46° / 26°F8° / -4°C
Arches× Cool Quiet17% of its peak · 1,029/day42° / 22°F5° / -5°C
Sequoia× Cold Quiet20% of its peak · 1,433/day39° / 17°F4° / -8°C
Yosemite× Cool Quiet22% of its peak · 4,330/day48° / 28°F9° / -2°C
Zion× Cool Quiet22% of its peak · 4,371/day54° / 30°F12° / -1°C
Cuyahoga Valley× Cold Quiet25% of its peak · 3,202/day37° / 21°F3° / -6°C
Great Smoky Mountains× Cool Quiet26% of its peak · 12,111/day47° / 27°F8° / -3°C
Grand Canyon× Cool Quiet33% of its peak · 5,250/day44° / 19°F7° / -7°C
Redwood× Cool Quiet27% of its peak · 1,529/day55° / 39°F13° / 4°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.