How Crowded Is Fossil Butte in December?
December is a very quiet month at Fossil Butte National Monument, running about 0.1× the park's average month — roughly 1% of the year's visitors come in December. That puts it between the July peak and the January low. Overall our best-time score rates December as "Poor" for a visit. Typical December weather averages a high near 29°F and a low around 5°F, with about 0.9" of precipitation. You'll get about 9.0 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
December is very quiet at Fossil Butte National Monument (about 0.1× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Poor". The single best month overall is August.
The busiest month is July and the quietest is January. December sits at about 0.1× the park's average, or 1% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1979–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.