How Crowded Is Big Bend National Park in May?

May runs about 1× Big Bend National Park's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 40,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 7th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the March peak (2×) and the August low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 71/100 ("Good"), versus the top-rated August at 78/100 — 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 89°F and an overnight low around 62°F, with about 1.3" of precipitation.

That average of about 76°F is warm enough that midday heat is worth planning around.

Because June, July and August together draw about 12% 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 13.5 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 10.1-hour midwinter low and the 13.9-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 568,104 recreation visits, up 1.2% from 561,458 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 29.3%, so a May visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.