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

October runs about 1× Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in October.

In a typical October the park sees roughly 1,900 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes October the 7th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the May peak (1.9×) and the January low (0.2×).

On our Best Time to Visit score October rates 56/100 ("Fair") — the single best-rated month at Bent's Old Fort, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical October weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 71°F and an overnight low around 39°F, with about 0.9" of precipitation.

That average of about 55°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 October instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 11 hours of daylight in October 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 October may feel a touch quieter than it once did.