How Crowded Is Chamizal National Memorial in December?

December runs about 0.4× Chamizal National Memorial's average month, which makes it a very quiet month here — roughly 4% of the park's yearly visitors come in December.

In a typical December the park sees roughly 2,300 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes December the 11th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (2.8×) and the January low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score December rates 78/100 ("Excellent"), versus the top-rated January at 80/100 — the best overall balance of crowds and daylight.

Because June, July and August together draw about 42% of annual visitors, choosing December instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 9.9 hours of daylight in December to explore — near the year-round minimum.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 6,627 recreation visits, down 20.4% from 8,324 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 82.7%, so December may feel a touch quieter than it once did.