Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in January

Roughly 5% of the park's yearly visitors come in January: roughly 5,700 recreation visits in a typical year, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes January the 11th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the August peak (1.8×) and the February low (0.6×).

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 41/100 ("Poor"). Our recommended month is October: the lightest crowds of the park's good-weather months.

The daily average of about 21°F is cold, with winter conditions likely on higher ground. These figures are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals from the nearest station, about 8.9 miles from the park.

Because June, July and August together draw about 37% of annual visitors, choosing January instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 9.3 hours of daylight in January to explore — between the 9-hour midwinter low and the 15-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 106,672 recreation visits, down 27.9% from 148,031 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 12.8%, so January may feel a touch quieter than it once did.