How Crowded Is Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in August?

August runs about 1.4× Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 12% of the park's yearly visitors come in August.

In a typical August the park sees about 54,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes August the 5th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (1.4×) and the January low (0.3×).

On our Best Time to Visit score August rates 39/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated October at 49/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical August weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 87°F and an overnight low around 71°F, with about 4.4" of precipitation.

That average of about 79°F is warm enough that midday heat is worth planning around.

August falls inside the park's busiest stretch: June, July and August together pull about 35% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.

You'll have about 13.5 hours of daylight in August to explore — between the 9.2-hour midwinter low and the 14.8-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 394,175 recreation visits, down 8.3% from 429,967 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 47.4%, so August may feel a touch quieter than it once did.