Best National Parks to Visit in October

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

October in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Grand Teton (35%, 56°F), Lassen Volcanic (40%, 59°F), Big Bend (51%, 80°F), Joshua Tree (52%, 85°F), Rocky Mountain (52%, 57°F).

Most visitors per day in October: Great Smoky Mountains (about 47,229), Acadia (about 18,639), Zion (about 16,506).

Park · in OctoberCrowdsHigh / low
Grand TetonBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Quiet35% of its peak · 8,893/day56° / 25°F13° / -4°C
Lassen VolcanicBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate40% of its peak · 1,567/day59° / 33°F15° / 1°C
Big BendBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate51% of its peak · 1,595/day80° / 55°F26° / 13°C
Joshua TreeBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate52% of its peak · 6,726/day85° / 58°F29° / 14°C
Rocky Mountain◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate52% of its peak · 12,883/day57° / 30°F14° / -1°C
Kings CanyonBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate52% of its peak · 2,192/day63° / 39°F17° / 4°C
Olympic◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate53% of its peak · 10,732/day56° / 42°F13° / 5°C
SequoiaBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate55% of its peak · 3,946/day59° / 31°F15° / 0°C
Redwood◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate58% of its peak · 3,270/day63° / 45°F17° / 7°C
White Sands◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate59% of its peak · 1,751/day79° / 42°F26° / 6°C
Acadia○ Mild weather, busy Busy71% of its peak · 18,639/day58° / 43°F15° / 6°C
Bryce CanyonBest month○ Mild weather, busy Busy71% of its peak · 6,749/day58° / 32°F15° / 0°C
Yosemite○ Mild weather, busy Busy76% of its peak · 14,939/day71° / 41°F22° / 5°C
Arches○ Mild weather, busy Busy77% of its peak · 4,752/day72° / 44°F22° / 7°C
Canyonlands○ Mild weather, busy Busy79% of its peak · 3,008/day65° / 44°F18° / 7°C
Cuyahoga Valley○ Mild weather, busy Busy79% of its peak · 10,313/day64° / 44°F18° / 7°C
Zion○ Mild weather, busy Busy82% of its peak · 16,506/day78° / 49°F26° / 9°C
Grand CanyonBest month○ Mild weather, busy Busy83% of its peak · 13,234/day65° / 33°F18° / 1°C
Capitol Reef○ Mild weather, busy Peak86% of its peak · 5,966/day66° / 43°F19° / 6°C
Great Smoky Mountains○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 47,229/day68° / 44°F20° / 7°C
Shenandoah○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 10,880/day67° / 43°F20° / 6°C
Badlands△ Very few visitors — check what is open Quiet29% of its peak · 2,329/day65° / 38°F19° / 3°C
Denali× Cold Very quiet3% of its peak · 155/day32° / 18°F0° / -8°C
Glacier× Cool Quiet18% of its peak · 4,439/day52° / 33°F11° / 0°C
Crater Lake× Cool Quiet28% of its peak · 1,607/day51° / 30°F10° / -1°C
Yellowstone× Cool Quiet33% of its peak · 10,645/day50° / 22°F10° / -6°C
Mount Rainier× Cool Moderate35% of its peak · 4,666/day46° / 33°F8° / 0°C
Everglades× Hot Quiet34% of its peak · 1,071/day88° / 71°F31° / 22°C
Saguaro× Hot Moderate39% of its peak · 1,660/day86° / 59°F30° / 15°C
Death Valley× Hot Moderate54% of its peak · 2,740/day93° / 64°F34° / 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.