Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in January

Roughly 3% of the park's yearly visitors come in January: about 13,000 recreation visits in a typical year, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the quietest month of the year at Fort McHenry; by contrast July, the busiest, runs about 1.4× the average — so January is the easiest time to have the place largely to yourself.

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 48/100 ("Fair"). Our recommended month is October: pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

The daily average of about 37°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter. These figures are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals from the nearest station, about 2 miles from the park.

Because June, July and August together draw about 35% of annual visitors, choosing January instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 9.5 hours of daylight in January 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 January may feel a touch quieter than it once did.