How Crowded Is Buck Island Reef National Monument in March?

March runs about 1.5× Buck Island Reef National Monument's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 13% of the park's yearly visitors come in March.

In a typical March the park sees roughly 4,800 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the single busiest month of the year at Buck Island Reef; September, the quietest, runs only about 0.4× the average — a 4-to-1 swing between high and low season.

On our Best Time to Visit score March rates 13/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated September at 87/100 — the best overall balance of crowds and daylight.

Because June, July and August together draw about 28% of annual visitors, choosing March instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 11.9 hours of daylight in March to explore — between the 10.9-hour midwinter low and the 13.1-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 40,079 recreation visits, down 5.2% from 42,289 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 40.3%, so a March visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.