How Crowded Is Glacier National Park in May?

May runs about 0.8× Glacier National Park's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 6% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 187,000 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 (3.3×) and the February low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 67/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at Glacier, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 64°F and an overnight low around 39°F, with about 2.6" of precipitation.

That average of about 52°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 69% 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 15 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 8.1-hour midwinter low and the 15.9-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 3,136,557 recreation visits, down 2.3% from 3,208,755 in 2024.