How Crowded Is Gauley River in January?
January is a very quiet month at Gauley River National Recreation Area, running about 0.2× the park's average month — roughly 1% of the year's visitors come in January. It is the quietest month of the year here — the best time to have the place largely to yourself, though you may trade away some warmth and daylight. Typical January weather averages a high near 41°F and a low around 21°F, with about 3.5" of precipitation. You'll get about 9.6 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
January 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. January sits at about 0.2× the park's average, or 1% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1993–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.