How Crowded Is Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in July?

July runs about 2.6× Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 22% of the park's yearly visitors come in July.

In a typical July the park sees about 50,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the single busiest month of the year at Bighorn Canyon; December, the quietest, runs only about 0.3× the average — a 10-to-1 swing between high and low season.

On our Best Time to Visit score July rates 50/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 68/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical July weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 89°F and an overnight low around 59°F, with about 1.2" of precipitation.

That average of about 74°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

July falls inside the park's busiest stretch: June, July and August together pull about 57% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.

You'll have about 15.1 hours of daylight in July 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 July may feel a touch quieter than it once did.