Best Time to Visit Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
OctoberBest month to visit
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Visit Hopewell Furnace in October
October offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). For comparison, August is the most crowded month (~1.6× the average month) and January is the quietest.
Annual visits
49K
2024
Busiest month
Aug
1.6× avg
Quietest month
Jan
0.3× avg
10-yr trend
steady
+4.1%
More photos of Hopewell Furnace
Photos courtesy of the National Park Service (public domain).
How crowded is Hopewell Furnace 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
| Month | Crowd level | Best-time score | Avg high / low | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Very quiet | 44 Poor | 37°F / 21°F | 9.4 h |
| February | Very quiet | 45 Fair | 41°F / 22°F | 10.5 h |
| March | Quiet | 49 Fair | 49°F / 31°F | 11.7 h |
| April | Average | 51 Fair | 62°F / 39°F | 13.1 h |
| May | Busy | 59 Fair | 72°F / 50°F | 14.2 h |
| June | Busy | 65 Good | 80°F / 59°F | 14.8 h |
| July | Busy | 54 Fair | 85°F / 64°F | 14.6 h |
| August | Very busy | 51 Fair | 82°F / 62°F | 13.6 h |
| September | Busy | 56 Fair | 76°F / 55°F | 12.3 h |
| October★ best | Busy | 47 Fair | 64°F / 44°F | 10.9 h |
| November | Quiet | 46 Fair | 53°F / 34°F | 9.7 h |
| December | Very quiet | 45 Fair | 42°F / 27°F | 9.1 h |
Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USC00364076, ~7 mi away).
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About visiting Hopewell Furnace
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in PA and one of the system's hidden, low-traffic units, drawing about 49,000 recreation visits in 2024. Visitation has held fairly steady over the past decade. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: August is the busiest month at about 1.6× the park's average month, while January is the calmest at roughly 0.3× — a 6-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 37% 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 74°F in July down to about 29°F in January, with the wettest stretch in January. About 7 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 October: pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). 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 9.1 hours in midwinter to 14.8 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
Hopewell Furnace showcases an early American landscape of industrial operations from 1771-1883, Hopewell and other iron plantations laid the foundation for the transformation of the United States into an industrial giant for the time. The park's 848 acres and historic structures illustrate the business, technology and lifestyle of our growing nation.
Weather & conditions
Summers are generally humid with daily temps. averaging 83 degrees (F) for a high and 60 degrees (F) for a low. Daily temps. in January average 38 degrees (F) for a high and 20 degrees (F) for a low. Precipitation averages 3-5 inches of rain per month during spring, summer and autumn. During winter conditions can be icy with snow accumulating up to several inches.
Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Service — official park site.
Where to stay near Hopewell Furnace
Hotels, cabins, lodges and vacation rentals near Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site — live availability and prices to plan your trip. October is our pick for the best balance of light crowds and good weather.
Top-rated places to stay near Hopewell Furnace
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Getting to Hopewell Furnace
The nearest airport is Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), about 43 mi (1 hr 19 min drive) away. Most visitors reach Hopewell Furnace by car.
Frequently Asked Questions
October offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season) at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. The park is busiest in August (about 1.6× the average month) and quietest in January.
August is the busiest month at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, running roughly 1.6 times the park's average monthly visitation.
January is the quietest month at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, at about 0.3× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site recorded about 48,776 recreation visits in 2024. Visitation has been steady over the past decade (+4.1%).
Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site averages about 74°F (July). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.
Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is the closest airport to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, about 43 mi (1 hr 19 min drive) away.
Nearby parks to visit
Keep exploring
Water quality of lakes near Hopewell Furnace
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.
- Lake Nockamixon water qualityGrade — · 34 mi · PA
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.