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WhenToVisitParks

Updated June 2026

Best Time to Visit Fort Laramie

National Historic SiteWyoming

Our recommendation

Visit Fort Laramie in June

June offers best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight. For comparison, July is the most crowded month (~2.3× the average month) and January is the quietest.

Annual visits

37K

2025

Busiest month

Jul

2.3× avg

Quietest month

Jan

0.2× avg

10-yr trend

falling

-12.3%

How crowded is Fort Laramie by month?

Relative crowd level by month (1.0 = the park's average month), from NPS visitation records 19792025.

0.2×Jan
0.2×Feb
0.4×Mar
0.7×Apr
1.7×May
1.8×Jun
2.3×Jul
2.0×Aug
1.6×Sep
0.8×Oct
0.2×Nov
0.2×Dec

Month-by-month crowd, weather & daylight

MonthCrowd levelBest-time scoreAvg high / lowDaylight
JanuaryVery quiet42 Poor43°F / 15°F9.2 h
FebruaryVery quiet44 Poor45°F / 17°F10.4 h
MarchVery quiet49 Fair55°F / 24°F11.7 h
AprilQuiet51 Fair62°F / 30°F13.2 h
MayVery busy51 Fair71°F / 41°F14.4 h
June★ bestVery busy62 Good83°F / 50°F15.1 h
JulyVery busy49 Fair91°F / 57°F14.8 h
AugustVery busy56 Fair89°F / 54°F13.7 h
SeptemberBusy58 Fair80°F / 44°F12.3 h
OctoberQuiet51 Fair65°F / 31°F10.8 h
NovemberVery quiet45 Fair52°F / 22°F9.6 h
DecemberVery quiet41 Poor43°F / 15°F8.9 h

Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USC00486852, ~0.6 mi away).

About visiting Fort Laramie

Fort Laramie National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in WY and one of the system's hidden, low-traffic units, drawing about 37,000 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has eased over the past decade, down about 12.3%. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: July is the busiest month at about 2.3× the park's average month, while January is the calmest at roughly 0.2× — a 15-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 51% of the year's visitors arrive in the three summer months of June, July and August alone, so timing a trip outside that window is the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels. Weather swings from an average high-season warmth near 74°F in July down to about 29°F in December, with the wettest stretch in May and meaningful snowfall around February. About 5 months a year see comfortable average temperatures in the 50–80°F range, which is part of why crowd timing and weather timing don't always line up. The sweet spot is June: best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight. Visit then and you trade a little peak-season certainty for noticeably shorter lines and easier parking than the July rush. Daylight ranges from about 8.9 hours in midwinter to 15.1 hours near the summer solstice, which shapes how much ground you can cover in a day. These crowd figures are drawn from 1979–2025 of National Park Service visitor-use records, paired with 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals, and are updated as new monthly data is released.

Park overview

Originally established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, Fort Laramie evolved into the largest and best-known military post on the Northern Plains before its abandonment in 1890. Nicknamed the “Grand Old Post,” Fort Laramie witnessed the entire sweeping saga of America’s western expansion and Indian resistance to encroachment on their territories.

Weather & conditions

Fort Laramie summer days can be quite hot (over 100F/37C), average highs are in the 80s and 90s (30-35C) with cool nights and low humidity. Winters are often bitterly cold and windy with subzero wind chills. The region is semi-arid with a distinct winter dry season. About 70% of annual precipitation falls as thunderstorms during the spring and early summer. Breezy days are common year-round and peak in the winter when wind speeds can approach hurricane-strength.

Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Serviceofficial park site.

Frequently Asked Questions

June offers best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight at Fort Laramie National Historic Site. The park is busiest in July (about 2.3× the average month) and quietest in January.

July is the busiest month at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, running roughly 2.3 times the park's average monthly visitation.

January is the quietest month at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, at about 0.2× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site recorded about 36,998 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has been falling over the past decade (-12.3%).

Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Fort Laramie National Historic Site averages about 74°F (July). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.

Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (19792025), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Crowd index = a month's visits ÷ the park's average month.