How Crowded Is Arches National Park in May?

May runs about 1.5× Arches National Park's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 13% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 198,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 2nd-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the June peak (1.5×) and the January low (0.2×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 54/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated October at 51/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 80°F and an overnight low around 53°F, with about 0.8" of precipitation.

That average of about 67°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 35% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 14.1 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.3-hour midwinter low and the 14.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 1,511,740 recreation visits, up 3.1% from 1,466,528 in 2024.