Best Time to Visit Every US National Park

Frequently asked questions

How is the "best time to visit" calculated?

Each park gets a month-by-month score that combines three things: how crowded that month is (from National Park Service visitation records), how comfortable the weather is (from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals), and how much daylight you get. The headline recommendation favors the shoulder season — months with good weather but noticeably fewer crowds than the summer peak.

Where does the crowd data come from?

From the National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics program, which publishes monthly recreation-visit counts for every reporting unit going back to 1979. We turn those counts into a per-park "crowd index" where 1.0 is the park's average month.

What is the least crowded time to visit national parks?

For most parks the quietest months are in winter (December–February), but the best balance of low crowds and decent weather is usually spring or fall. The exact shoulder-season month differs by park — each park page shows its own recommendation.

How many parks are covered?

Every National Park Service unit that reports monthly visitation — more than 380 national parks, monuments, seashores, recreation areas, historic sites and parkways, not just the famous 63 "National Parks."