How Crowded Is Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in October?

October runs about 1.2× Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 10% of the park's yearly visitors come in October.

In a typical October the park sees roughly 5,100 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes October the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the August peak (1.6×) and the January low (0.3×).

On our Best Time to Visit score October rates 47/100 ("Fair") — the single best-rated month at Hopewell Furnace, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical October weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 64°F and an overnight low around 44°F.

That average of about 54°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

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

You'll have about 10.9 hours of daylight in October to explore — between the 9.1-hour midwinter low and the 14.8-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 48,776 recreation visits, down 10.2% from 54,293 in 2023.