How Crowded Is Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in January?

January runs about 0.4× Frederick Douglass National Historic Site's average month, which makes it a very quiet month here — roughly 4% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees roughly 2,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the quietest month of the year at Frederick Douglass; by contrast June, the busiest, runs about 1.5× the average — so January is the easiest time to have the place largely to yourself.

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 43/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated September at 70/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical January weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 45°F and an overnight low around 30°F, with about 2.9" of precipitation and roughly 5" of snow.

That average of about 38°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 33% 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 9.6 hours of daylight in January to explore — near the year-round minimum.

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 January visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.