How Crowded Is Gauley River in December?
December is a very quiet month at Gauley River National Recreation Area, running about 0.2× the park's average month — roughly 2% of the year's visitors come in December. That puts it between the September peak and the January low. Overall our best-time score rates December as "Poor" for a visit. Typical December weather averages a high near 45°F and a low around 26°F, with about 3.9" of precipitation. You'll get about 9.4 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
December is very quiet at Gauley River National Recreation Area (about 0.2× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Poor". The single best month overall is May.
The busiest month is September and the quietest is January. December sits at about 0.2× the park's average, or 2% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1993–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.