How Crowded Is El Malpais in December?
December is a quiet month at El Malpais National Monument, running about 0.6× the park's average month — roughly 5% of the year's visitors come in December. That puts it between the May peak and the January low. Overall our best-time score rates December as "Poor" for a visit. Typical December weather averages a high near 47°F and a low around 13°F. You'll get about 9.7 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
December is quiet at El Malpais National Monument (about 0.6× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Poor". The single best month overall is August.
The busiest month is May and the quietest is January. December sits at about 0.6× the park's average, or 5% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1988–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.