Updated October 2026
Best Time to Visit Grand Portage National Monument
National MonumentMinnesota
Best month to visit
September
65°F / 44°F avg high / low
Our recommendation
Visit Grand Portage in September
September offers the lightest crowds of the park's good-weather months. For comparison, August is the most crowded month (~3.1× the average month) and January is the quietest.
- Annual visits
- 86K
- 2025
- Busiest month
- Aug
- 3.1× avg
- Quietest month
- Jan
- 0.1× avg
- 10-yr trend
- steady
- -1.7%
More photos of Grand Portage
Photos courtesy of the National Park Service (public domain).
How crowded is Grand Portage by month?
Relative crowd level by month (1.0 = the park's average month), from NPS visitation records 1979–2025.
Month-by-month crowd, weather & daylight
Grand Portage National Monument weather by month →
| Month | Crowd level | Best-time score | Avg high / low | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Very quiet | 1 Poor | 20°F / 1°F | 8.6 h |
| February | Very quiet | 4 Poor | 24°F / 2°F | 10.0 h |
| March | Very quiet | 46 Fair | 34°F / 13°F | 11.6 h |
| April | Very quiet | 50 Fair | 45°F / 26°F | 13.4 h |
| May | Quiet | 65 Good | 58°F / 37°F | 15.0 h |
| June | Very busy | 61 Good | 68°F / 46°F | 15.8 h |
| July | Very busy | 54 Fair | 74°F / 52°F | 15.5 h |
| August | Very busy | 46 Fair | 73°F / 52°F | 14.1 h |
| Septemberour pick | Busy | 55 Fair | 65°F / 44°F | 12.3 h |
| October | Average | 47 Fair | 51°F / 33°F | 10.6 h |
| November | Very quiet | 2 Poor | 38°F / 22°F | 9.0 h |
| December | Very quiet | 0 Poor | 26°F / 9°F | 8.2 h |
Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USC00213296, ~3.4 mi away).
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About visiting Grand Portage
Grand Portage National Monument is a National Monument in MN and a relatively quiet park, drawing about 86,000 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has held fairly steady over the past decade. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: August is the busiest month at about 3.1× the park's average month, while January is the calmest at roughly 0.1× — a 21-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 64% of the year's visitors arrive in the three summer months of June, July and August alone, so timing a trip outside that window is the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels. Weather swings from an average high-season warmth near 63°F in July down to about 11°F in January, with the wettest stretch in June. About 4 months a year see comfortable average temperatures in the 50–80°F range, which is part of why crowd timing and weather timing don't always line up. The sweet spot is September: the lightest crowds of the park's good-weather months. Visit then and you trade a little peak-season certainty for noticeably shorter lines and easier parking than the August rush. Daylight ranges from about 8.2 hours in midwinter to 15.8 hours near the summer solstice, which shapes how much ground you can cover in a day. These crowd figures are drawn from 1979–2025 of National Park Service visitor-use records, paired with 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals, and are updated as new monthly data is released.
Park overview
Travel into the past to discover the present. Explore the partnership between the Grand Portage Anishinaabe and the North West Company during the North American fur trade. Experience the sights and smells of a bustling depot reconstructed in its historic location. See how it shaped co-management with the NPS today. Follow pathways to the past to imagine a drum echo over Gichigami - Lake Superior.
Weather & conditions
Short, warm summers and long, cold winters define the climate of northern Minnesota. Average range of summer temperature is from 55°F to 78°F in July and average range of winter temperatures is from –11°F to 12°F in January. Average annual precipitation in Grand Portage, MN is about 32 inches.
Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Service — official park site.
Where to stay near Grand Portage
Hotels, cabins, lodges and vacation rentals near Grand Portage National Monument — live availability and prices to plan your trip. September is our pick for the best balance of light crowds and good weather. Full lodging guide: when to book, gateway vs in-park, and the crowd calendar that drives room rates.
Top-rated places to stay near Grand Portage
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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Getting to Grand Portage
The nearest airport is Duluth International Airport (DLH), about 149 mi (3 hr 35 min drive) away. Most visitors reach Grand Portage by car.
What takes a reservation at Grand Portage
From National Park Service records read on October 11, 2026. Timed-entry and permit rules change from season to season; the official Grand Portage page has this year's.
Campgrounds with reservable sites
- Fort Charlotte Backcountry Campgrounds: 2 reservable sites
Activities the park marks as needing a reservation
Frequently Asked Questions
September offers the lightest crowds of the park's good-weather months at Grand Portage National Monument. The park is busiest in August (about 3.1× the average month) and quietest in January.
August is the busiest month at Grand Portage National Monument, running roughly 3.1 times the park's average monthly visitation.
January is the quietest month at Grand Portage National Monument, at about 0.1× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.
Grand Portage National Monument recorded about 85,734 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has been steady over the past decade (-1.7%).
Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Grand Portage National Monument averages about 63°F (July). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.
Duluth International Airport (DLH) is the closest airport to Grand Portage National Monument, about 149 mi (3 hr 35 min drive) away.
Nearby parks to visit
Keep exploring
Water quality of lakes near Grand Portage
If you are planning to swim, paddle or fish on this trip, these graded lakes are within a 40-mile drive. Grades are A–F from EPA and state-agency sampling.
- North Lake Deep water qualityGrade A · 4 mi · MN
- Turtle Lake Deep water qualityGrade A · 5 mi · MN
- Taylor Lake Deep water qualityGrade A · 5 mi · MN
- Trout Lake Deep water qualityGrade A · 5 mi · MN
- Teal Lake Deep water qualityGrade A · 5 mi · MN
Beach water quality near Grand Portage
Beaches within a 40-mile drive, graded on multi-year bacteria sampling from EPA BEACON — worth checking before you plan a swim day.
- Grand Portage Beach 2.5 water qualityGrade A · 4 mi · MN
- Grand Portage Beach 6 water qualityGrade A · 5 mi · MN
- Hollow Rock Resort Beach water qualityGrade A · 5 mi · MN
- Red Rock Beach water qualityGrade A · 6 mi · MN
- Reservation River Beach water qualityGrade A · 9 mi · MN
Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1979–2025), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Crowd index = a month's visits ÷ the park's average month.