How Crowded Is Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve in May?

May runs about 1.9× Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 16% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 83,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 5th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (2.6×) and the February low (0×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 42/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated April at 58/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 54°F and an overnight low around 39°F, with about 3.1" of precipitation.

That average of about 47°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 62% 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 16.6 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 5.9-hour midwinter low and the 18-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 740,044 recreation visits, about flat from 736,282 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 20.2%, so a May visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.