How Crowded Is Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site in May?

May runs about 1.9× Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 16% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees roughly 3,700 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the single busiest month of the year at Bent's Old Fort; January, the quietest, runs only about 0.2× the average — a 11-to-1 swing between high and low season.

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 49/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated October at 56/100 — 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 79°F and an overnight low around 48°F, with about 1.6" of precipitation.

That average of about 63°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 38% 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 9.4-hour midwinter low and the 14.6-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 16,102 recreation visits, down 18.3% from 19,718 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 20.8%, so May may feel a touch quieter than it once did.