How Crowded Is George Washington Memorial Parkway in May?

May runs about 1.2× George Washington Memorial Parkway's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 10% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 732,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 4th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the August peak (1.4×) and the January low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 56/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 58/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 76°F and an overnight low around 54°F, with about 4.4" of precipitation.

That average of about 65°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 34% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 14.1 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.3-hour midwinter low and the 14.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 6,732,932 recreation visits, down 0.7% from 6,782,717 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 9.7%, so May may feel a touch quieter than it once did.