How Crowded Is Colorado National Monument in October?

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

In a typical October the park sees about 39,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes October the 7th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the May peak (1.3×) and the February low (0.6×).

On our Best Time to Visit score October rates 36/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated February at 81/100 — the best overall balance of crowds and daylight.

Because June, July and August together draw about 32% of annual visitors, choosing October instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 10.9 hours of daylight in October to explore — between the 9.3-hour midwinter low and the 14.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 483,436 recreation visits, down 0.9% from 488,038 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 23.5%, so a October visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.