How Crowded Is Chamizal National Memorial in May?

May runs about 1.1× Chamizal National Memorial's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 9% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees roughly 5,500 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 5th-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 May rates 72/100 ("Good"), 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 May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 13.6 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.9-hour midwinter low and the 14.1-hour summer high.

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 May may feel a touch quieter than it once did.