Best National Parks to Visit in September

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

September in short

Mild weather and fewer people: Shenandoah (47%, 78°F), Crater Lake (55%, 63°F), Mount Rainier (56%, 57°F).

Most visitors per day in September: Great Smoky Mountains (about 35,281), Yellowstone (about 28,301), Acadia (about 22,412).

Park · in SeptemberCrowdsHigh / low
Shenandoah◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate47% of its peak · 5,157/day78° / 54°F26° / 12°C
Crater Lake◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate55% of its peak · 3,163/day63° / 37°F17° / 3°C
Mount RainierBest month◎ Mild weather, fewer people Moderate56% of its peak · 7,479/day57° / 41°F14° / 5°C
Badlands○ Mild weather, busy Moderate60% of its peak · 4,830/day82° / 50°F28° / 10°C
Lassen Volcanic○ Mild weather, busy Busy63% of its peak · 2,441/day72° / 41°F22° / 5°C
Sequoia○ Mild weather, busy Busy71% of its peak · 5,096/day70° / 39°F21° / 4°C
Great Smoky Mountains○ Mild weather, busy Busy75% of its peak · 35,281/day78° / 56°F25° / 13°C
Kings Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Busy78% of its peak · 3,304/day73° / 47°F23° / 9°C
Cuyahoga Valley○ Mild weather, busy Busy78% of its peak · 10,172/day77° / 55°F25° / 13°C
Glacier○ Mild weather, busy Busy79% of its peak · 19,539/day68° / 41°F20° / 5°C
Grand Teton○ Mild weather, busy Busy80% of its peak · 20,499/day71° / 34°F22° / 1°C
Redwood○ Mild weather, busy Busy81% of its peak · 4,539/day67° / 50°F19° / 10°C
Rocky Mountain○ Mild weather, busy Busy83% of its peak · 20,353/day70° / 39°F21° / 4°C
Olympic○ Mild weather, busy Busy84% of its peak · 16,927/day68° / 48°F20° / 9°C
Acadia○ Mild weather, busy Busy85% of its peak · 22,412/day71° / 53°F22° / 12°C
Grand Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak87% of its peak · 13,879/day76° / 44°F24° / 7°C
Canyonlands○ Mild weather, busy Peak87% of its peak · 3,312/day79° / 57°F26° / 14°C
Yellowstone○ Mild weather, busy Peak89% of its peak · 28,301/day65° / 30°F18° / -1°C
Yosemite○ Mild weather, busy Peak90% of its peak · 17,554/day83° / 51°F28° / 11°C
Capitol Reef○ Mild weather, busy Peak90% of its peak · 6,236/day80° / 55°F26° / 13°C
Bryce Canyon○ Mild weather, busy Peak100% of its peak · 9,528/day70° / 42°F21° / 5°C
Denali× Cool Moderate38% of its peak · 1,803/day50° / 33°F10° / 1°C
Big Bend× Hot Quiet26% of its peak · 821/day86° / 63°F30° / 17°C
Saguaro× Very hot Quiet28% of its peak · 1,198/day95° / 70°F35° / 21°C
Joshua Tree× Very hot Moderate39% of its peak · 5,048/day96° / 69°F36° / 21°C
Everglades× Hot Moderate42% of its peak · 1,321/day91° / 74°F33° / 23°C
White Sands× Hot Moderate49% of its peak · 1,462/day89° / 56°F32° / 13°C
Death Valley× Very hot Moderate50% of its peak · 2,548/day108° / 79°F42° / 26°C
Zion× Hot Busy81% of its peak · 16,389/day91° / 61°F33° / 16°C
Arches× Hot Peak85% of its peak · 5,276/day87° / 58°F31° / 15°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.