Best Parks by Month · December 2026 · 3 min read
Best National Parks to Visit in December
The December parks that score highest for the balance of light crowds, good weather and daylight — ranked from real NPS visitation and NOAA climate data.
December splits the system in two: solitude and snow in the north, and prime, comfortable conditions in the desert Southwest and Florida.
Holiday weeks bring a brief bump at a few parks, but for most of December the trails are yours.
The best parks to visit in December
Ranked by our Best Time to Visit score for December — which blends how crowded each park is that month (from NPS visitation records), the climate normals, and daylight. A higher score means a better balance of thin crowds and comfortable conditions.
Scores 77/100 for December — quiet at about 0.7× its average month, average highs near 73°F.
Scores 77/100 for December — quiet at about 0.6× its average month, average highs near 69°F.
Scores 76/100 for December — quiet at about 0.6× its average month, average highs near 70°F.
Scores 72/100 for December — average at about 0.9× its average month, average highs near 66°F.
Scores 70/100 for December — quiet at about 0.8× its average month, average highs near 69°F.
Scores 68/100 for December — quiet at about 0.8× its average month, average highs near 66°F.
Scores 68/100 for December — quiet at about 0.8× its average month, average highs near 66°F.
Scores 68/100 for December — average at about 1.0× its average month, average highs near 75°F.
Scores 66/100 for December — average at about 1.0× its average month, average highs near 75°F.
Scores 66/100 for December — quiet at about 0.8× its average month, average highs near 64°F.
Scores 65/100 for December — quiet at about 0.7× its average month, average highs near 63°F.
Scores 65/100 for December — quiet at about 0.8× its average month, average highs near 64°F.
Crowd figures are each month’s share of a park’s own annual visits, so “1.0×” means an average month for that park. See the full method on our methodology page.
Where the crowds are in December
Not every park follows the same rhythm. In December, the most concentrated crowds tend to show up at Dayton Aviation Heritage, San Juan, Joshua Tree, while Klondike Gold Rush, Glacier Bay, Governors Island sit among the quietest relative to their own averages.
That is the whole point of ranking by month rather than by raw popularity: a famous park can be a poor December choice, and a lesser-known one can be perfect. Use the score to match the month to the park.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Canaveral tops our December ranking with a Best Time to Visit score of 77/100 · 0.7× crowds. The full ordered list above weighs crowds, weather and daylight together for December.
December is a quiet, low-crowd month, ideal if you head to the desert Southwest or Florida. The ranking above shows exactly which parks are at their best.
Relative to their own averages, Klondike Gold Rush, Glacier Bay, Governors Island are among the quietest parks in December. You can also see the full quietest-parks list for the month.
Parks in this guide
Keep reading
Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics and NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Rankings and figures update as new NPS monthly data is released. Last updated 2026-10-11.