How Crowded Is Crater Lake National Park in July?

July runs about 3.4× Crater Lake National Park's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 28% of the park's yearly visitors come in July.

In a typical July the park sees about 181,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the single busiest month of the year at Crater Lake; January, the quietest, runs only about 0.1× the average — a 38-to-1 swing between high and low season.

On our Best Time to Visit score July rates 42/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated August at 48/100 — 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 69°F and an overnight low around 41°F, with about 0.8" of precipitation.

That average of about 55°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 65% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.

You'll have about 14.9 hours of daylight in July to explore — near the year-round maximum.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 632,242 recreation visits, up 25.2% from 504,942 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 19.4%, so July may feel a touch quieter than it once did.