Best National Parks to Visit in March

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

March in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Redwood (39%, 57°F), Capitol Reef (44%, 57°F), Great Smoky Mountains (55%, 59°F).

Most visitors per day in March: Great Smoky Mountains (about 25,952), Zion (about 13,616), Joshua Tree (about 12,977).

Park · in MarchCrowdsHigh / low
Redwood◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate39% of its peak · 2,165/day57° / 40°F14° / 5°C
Capitol ReefBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate44% of its peak · 3,049/day57° / 34°F14° / 1°C
Great Smoky MountainsBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate55% of its peak · 25,952/day59° / 35°F15° / 1°C
Zion○ Mild weather, busy Busy67% of its peak · 13,616/day66° / 39°F19° / 4°C
Arches○ Mild weather, busy Busy76% of its peak · 4,739/day62° / 37°F17° / 3°C
Joshua Tree○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 12,977/day74° / 49°F23° / 10°C
Death Valley○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 5,109/day83° / 57°F28° / 14°C
Big Bend○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 3,149/day74° / 47°F23° / 8°C
White Sands○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 2,985/day71° / 33°F22° / 1°C
Everglades○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 3,112/day83° / 58°F28° / 14°C
Saguaro○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 4,298/day76° / 48°F24° / 9°C
Yosemite△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet25% of its peak · 4,977/day57° / 34°F14° / 1°C
Yellowstone× Cold Very quiet3% of its peak · 1,071/day39° / 10°F4° / -12°C
Glacier× Cool Very quiet3% of its peak · 829/day42° / 25°F6° / -4°C
Acadia× Cool Very quiet3% of its peak · 848/day42° / 25°F5° / -4°C
Mount Rainier× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 696/day36° / 24°F2° / -5°C
Denali× Cold Very quiet5% of its peak · 228/day22° / 3°F-6° / -16°C
Lassen Volcanic× Cool Very quiet6% of its peak · 242/day46° / 24°F8° / -4°C
Crater Lake× Cold Very quiet7% of its peak · 379/day36° / 20°F2° / -6°C
Grand Teton× Cool Very quiet8% of its peak · 2,096/day42° / 15°F5° / -10°C
Badlands× Cool Very quiet11% of its peak · 865/day52° / 26°F11° / -3°C
Kings Canyon× Cool Quiet17% of its peak · 710/day48° / 27°F9° / -3°C
Rocky Mountain× Cool Quiet20% of its peak · 4,901/day45° / 21°F7° / -6°C
Olympic× Cool Quiet27% of its peak · 5,384/day50° / 35°F10° / 2°C
Bryce Canyon× Cool Quiet28% of its peak · 2,688/day46° / 23°F8° / -5°C
Sequoia× Cool Quiet31% of its peak · 2,257/day45° / 22°F7° / -6°C
Cuyahoga Valley× Cool Moderate47% of its peak · 6,139/day49° / 30°F10° / -1°C
Canyonlands× Cool Busy66% of its peak · 2,508/day54° / 35°F12° / 2°C
Grand Canyon× Cool Busy72% of its peak · 11,437/day54° / 25°F12° / -4°C
Shenandoah× Cool Quiet23% of its peak · 2,525/day55° / 32°F13° / 0°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.