How Crowded Is Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in August?

August runs about 1× Frederick Douglass National Historic Site's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 9% of the park's yearly visitors come in August.

In a typical August the park sees roughly 4,700 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes August the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the June peak (1.5×) and the January low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score August rates 55/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 70/100 — 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 88°F and an overnight low around 71°F, with about 3.3" 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 33% 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 9.3-hour midwinter low and the 14.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 25,836 recreation visits, down 57.7% from 61,063 in 2019.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 22.2%, so a August visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.