Best National Parks to Visit in July

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

July in short

No park on this list has both mild weather and below-peak crowds in July.

Most visitors per day in July: Great Smoky Mountains (about 44,973), Yellowstone (about 31,847), Acadia (about 26,192).

Park · in JulyCrowdsHigh / low
Olympic○ Mild weather, busy Peak88% of its peak · 17,872/day74° / 51°F23° / 10°C
Bryce Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak88% of its peak · 8,380/day80° / 52°F27° / 11°C
Great Smoky Mountains○ Mild weather, busy Peak95% of its peak · 44,973/day83° / 63°F28° / 17°C
Acadia○ Mild weather, busy Peak99% of its peak · 26,192/day79° / 60°F26° / 16°C
Yellowstone○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 31,847/day76° / 39°F24° / 4°C
Glacier○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 24,864/day80° / 50°F27° / 10°C
Grand Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 15,960/day85° / 50°F29° / 10°C
Sequoia○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 7,180/day76° / 46°F24° / 8°C
Mount Rainier○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 13,273/day62° / 44°F17° / 7°C
Grand Teton○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 25,496/day82° / 44°F28° / 7°C
Rocky Mountain○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 24,589/day80° / 48°F27° / 9°C
Redwood○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 5,621/day66° / 53°F19° / 12°C
Crater Lake○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 5,734/day69° / 41°F21° / 5°C
Denali○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 4,707/day64° / 47°F18° / 8°C
Kings Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 4,216/day79° / 52°F26° / 11°C
Lassen Volcanic○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 3,881/day79° / 46°F26° / 8°C
Big Bend× Hot Quiet20% of its peak · 643/day92° / 70°F33° / 21°C
Saguaro× Very hot Quiet25% of its peak · 1,069/day100° / 76°F38° / 25°C
Joshua Tree× Very hot Quiet33% of its peak · 4,337/day104° / 77°F40° / 25°C
Capitol Reef× Hot Moderate57% of its peak · 3,984/day91° / 65°F33° / 18°C
Shenandoah× Hot Moderate58% of its peak · 6,348/day85° / 62°F30° / 17°C
Canyonlands× Hot Moderate58% of its peak · 2,209/day91° / 68°F33° / 20°C
Death Valley× Very hot Moderate59% of its peak · 3,002/day117° / 91°F47° / 33°C
White Sands× Very hot Busy61% of its peak · 1,829/day97° / 65°F36° / 19°C
Everglades× Hot Busy64% of its peak · 1,997/day92° / 74°F34° / 23°C
Arches× Very hot Busy84% of its peak · 5,237/day99° / 70°F37° / 21°C
Zion× Very hot Peak90% of its peak · 18,241/day100° / 70°F38° / 21°C
Yosemite× Hot Peak100% of its peak · 19,567/day89° / 57°F32° / 14°C
Badlands× Hot Peak100% of its peak · 8,054/day91° / 62°F33° / 17°C
Cuyahoga Valley× Hot Peak100% of its peak · 13,049/day85° / 64°F30° / 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.