How Crowded Is Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve in January?

January runs about 0.2× Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve's average month, which makes it a very quiet month here — roughly 2% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees about 130 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1982 to 2025.

That makes January the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (4×) and the October low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 39/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated May at 72/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical January weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near -2°F and an overnight low around -19°F, with about 0.9" of precipitation and roughly 14" of snow.

That average of about -11°F is cold, with winter conditions likely on higher ground.

Because June, July and August together draw about 85% 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 2.4 hours of daylight in January to explore — between the 0-hour midwinter low and the 24-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2016 drew 10,047 recreation visits, down 20.7% from 12,669 in 2014.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 51.1%, so a January visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.