How Crowded Is Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in April?

April runs about 0.8× Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 6% of the park's yearly visitors come in April.

In a typical April the park sees about 14,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes April the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (2.6×) and the December low (0.3×).

On our Best Time to Visit score April rates 54/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 68/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical April weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 58°F and an overnight low around 36°F, with about 2" of precipitation and roughly 3" of snow.

That average of about 47°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 57% of annual visitors, choosing April instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 13.3 hours of daylight in April to explore — between the 8.6-hour midwinter low and the 15.4-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 228,382 recreation visits, up 3.9% from 219,815 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 7.2%, so April may feel a touch quieter than it once did.