Best Time to Visit Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
SeptemberBest month to visit
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Visit Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in September
September offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). For comparison, March is the most crowded month (~1.7× the average month) and January is the quietest.
Annual visits
2.8M
2025
Busiest month
Mar
1.7× avg
Quietest month
Jan
0.3× avg
10-yr trend
steady
-5.2%
More photos of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Photos courtesy of the National Park Service (public domain).
How crowded is Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial by month?
Relative crowd level by month (1.0 = the park's average month), from NPS visitation records 1997–2025.
Month-by-month crowd, weather & daylight
| Month | Crowd level | Best-time score | Avg high / low | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Very quiet | 43 Poor | 45°F / 30°F | 9.6 h |
| February | Very quiet | 40 Poor | 48°F / 32°F | 10.5 h |
| March | Very busy | 20 Poor | 57°F / 39°F | 11.7 h |
| April | Very busy | 41 Poor | 68°F / 48°F | 13.0 h |
| May | Busy | 58 Fair | 77°F / 58°F | 14.1 h |
| June | Busy | 54 Fair | 85°F / 68°F | 14.7 h |
| July | Average | 56 Fair | 90°F / 72°F | 14.5 h |
| August | Average | 57 Fair | 88°F / 71°F | 13.5 h |
| September★ best | Average | 66 Good | 81°F / 64°F | 12.2 h |
| October | Average | 55 Fair | 69°F / 52°F | 11.0 h |
| November | Quiet | 52 Fair | 58°F / 42°F | 9.8 h |
| December | Very quiet | 46 Fair | 49°F / 35°F | 9.3 h |
Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USW00013743, ~2.5 mi away).
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About visiting Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a unit of the National Park System in DC and one of the busier parks in the system, drawing about 2.8 million recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has held fairly steady over the past decade. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: March is the busiest month at about 1.7× the park's average month, while January is the calmest at roughly 0.3× — a 6-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 28% 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 81°F in July down to about 38°F in January, with the wettest stretch in July and meaningful snowfall around February. About 6 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 September: pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). Visit then and you trade a little peak-season certainty for noticeably shorter lines and easier parking than the March rush. Daylight ranges from about 9.3 hours in midwinter to 14.7 hours near the summer solstice, which shapes how much ground you can cover in a day. These crowd figures are drawn from 1997–2025 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
These words by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ushered the United States into World War II and defined what it is to be an American. Stop by this secluded memorial and begin to understand the Roosevelt legacy.
Weather & conditions
Washington DC gets to see all four seasons. Humidity will make the temps feel hotter in summer and colder in winter. Spring (March - May) Temp: Average high is 65.5 degrees with a low of 46.5 degrees Summer (June - August) Temp: Average high is 86 degrees with a low of 68.5 degrees Fall (September - November) Temp: Average high is 68 degrees with a low of 51.5 degrees Winter (December - February) Temp: Average high is 45 degrees with a low of 30 degrees (Source: www.usclimatedata.com)
Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Service — official park site.
Where to stay near Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Hotels, cabins, lodges and vacation rentals near Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial — live availability and prices to plan your trip. September is our pick for the best balance of light crowds and good weather.
Top-rated places to stay near Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
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Getting to Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The nearest airport is Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), about 5 mi (10 min drive) away. Most visitors reach Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial by car.
Frequently Asked Questions
September offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season) at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The park is busiest in March (about 1.7× the average month) and quietest in January.
March is the busiest month at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, running roughly 1.7 times the park's average monthly visitation.
January is the quietest month at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, at about 0.3× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial recorded about 2,832,124 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has been steady over the past decade (-5.2%).
Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial averages about 81°F (July). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.
Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, about 5 mi (10 min drive) away.
Nearby parks to visit
0 mi away · best in September
0 mi away · best in February
0 mi away · best in September
1 mi away · best in February
1 mi away · best in January
1 mi away · best in January
Keep exploring
Water quality of lakes near Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
If you are planning to swim, paddle or fish on this trip, these graded lakes are within a 40-mile drive. Grades are A–F from EPA and state-agency sampling.
- Beaverdam Creek Reservior Lake water qualityGrade A · 28 mi · VA
- Beaverdam Creek Reservoir water qualityGrade A · 28 mi · VA
- Goose Creek Reservoir water qualityGrade A · 29 mi · VA
- Smith Lake water qualityGrade A · 33 mi · VA
- Burke Lake water qualityGrade C · 16 mi · VA
Beach water quality near Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Beaches within a 40-mile drive, graded on multi-year bacteria sampling from EPA BEACON — worth checking before you plan a swim day.
- Highland Beach water qualityGrade A · 31 mi · MD
- Chesapeake Station water qualityGrade A · 31 mi · MD
- Bay Ridge At River Dr. water qualityGrade A · 32 mi · MD
- Bay Ridge At Bay Dr. water qualityGrade A · 32 mi · MD
- Mountain Point At Gibson Island water qualityGrade A · 35 mi · MD
Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1997–2025), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Crowd index = a month's visits ÷ the park's average month.