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

October runs about 1.1× Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 9% of the park's yearly visitors come in October.

In a typical October the park sees about 43,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes October the 7th-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 October rates 49/100 ("Fair") — the single best-rated month at Fort McHenry, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical October weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 69°F and an overnight low around 53°F, with about 3.5" of precipitation.

That average of about 61°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

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

You'll have about 10.9 hours of daylight in October 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 October may feel a touch quieter than it once did.