Best National Parks to Visit in May

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

May in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Acadia (41%, 64°F), Grand Teton (42%, 62°F), Rocky Mountain (42%, 61°F), Badlands (45%, 72°F), Olympic (49%, 63°F).

Most visitors per day in May: Great Smoky Mountains (about 35,640), Zion (about 18,701), Yellowstone (about 17,622).

Park · in MayCrowdsHigh / low
AcadiaBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate41% of its peak · 10,779/day64° / 45°F18° / 7°C
Grand Teton◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate42% of its peak · 10,591/day62° / 33°F16° / 0°C
Rocky MountainBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate42% of its peak · 10,409/day61° / 35°F16° / 2°C
BadlandsBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate45% of its peak · 3,644/day72° / 46°F22° / 8°C
OlympicBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate49% of its peak · 9,829/day63° / 43°F17° / 6°C
Shenandoah◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate49% of its peak · 5,342/day74° / 50°F23° / 10°C
YellowstoneBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate55% of its peak · 17,622/day55° / 29°F13° / -2°C
Sequoia○ Mild weather, busy Busy63% of its peak · 4,537/day58° / 33°F15° / 1°C
Yosemite○ Mild weather, busy Busy72% of its peak · 14,033/day70° / 44°F21° / 7°C
Redwood○ Mild weather, busy Busy73% of its peak · 4,081/day61° / 46°F16° / 8°C
Kings Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Busy74% of its peak · 3,137/day60° / 38°F15° / 3°C
Great Smoky Mountains○ Mild weather, busy Busy75% of its peak · 35,640/day75° / 51°F24° / 10°C
Cuyahoga Valley○ Mild weather, busy Busy82% of its peak · 10,713/day73° / 50°F23° / 10°C
Bryce Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak85% of its peak · 8,127/day63° / 37°F17° / 3°C
Zion○ Mild weather, busy Peak93% of its peak · 18,701/day84° / 52°F29° / 11°C
Grand Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak97% of its peak · 15,434/day70° / 36°F21° / 2°C
Arches○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 6,205/day80° / 53°F27° / 12°C
Canyonlands○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 3,788/day72° / 50°F22° / 10°C
Capitol Reef○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 6,959/day74° / 48°F24° / 9°C
Lassen Volcanic△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet26% of its peak · 1,002/day61° / 35°F16° / 2°C
Glacier△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet28% of its peak · 6,842/day64° / 39°F18° / 4°C
Crater Lake× Cool Quiet20% of its peak · 1,146/day49° / 29°F9° / -1°C
Mount Rainier× Cool Quiet22% of its peak · 2,879/day48° / 33°F9° / 1°C
Denali× Cool Quiet28% of its peak · 1,340/day54° / 33°F12° / 0°C
Big Bend× Hot Moderate44% of its peak · 1,377/day89° / 62°F32° / 17°C
Saguaro× Hot Moderate49% of its peak · 2,105/day92° / 62°F33° / 17°C
Everglades× Hot Moderate57% of its peak · 1,771/day89° / 67°F32° / 19°C
Joshua Tree× Hot Moderate58% of its peak · 7,525/day90° / 63°F32° / 17°C
White Sands× Hot Busy68% of its peak · 2,017/day88° / 50°F31° / 10°C
Death Valley× Very hot Busy73% of its peak · 3,734/day101° / 75°F38° / 24°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.