How Crowded Is George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in October?

October runs about 0.7× George Rogers Clark National Historical Park's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 6% of the park's yearly visitors come in October.

In a typical October the park sees roughly 7,400 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes October the 7th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the May peak (2.9×) and the January low (0.2×).

On our Best Time to Visit score October rates 66/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at George Rogers Clark, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical October weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 70°F and an overnight low around 45°F, with about 3.6" of precipitation.

That average of about 58°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 38% of annual visitors, choosing October instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 11 hours of daylight in October to explore — between the 9.3-hour midwinter low and the 14.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 113,397 recreation visits, down 31.9% from 166,621 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 18.6%, so a October visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.