How Crowded Is Hot Springs National Park in January?

January runs about 0.6× Hot Springs National Park's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 5% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees about 98,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the quietest month of the year at Hot Springs; by contrast June, the busiest, runs about 1.5× the average — so January is the easiest time to have the place largely to yourself.

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 54/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 69/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical January weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 52°F and an overnight low around 32°F, with about 3.8" of precipitation.

That average of about 42°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 34% 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 9.9 hours of daylight in January to explore — near the year-round minimum.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 2,494,611 recreation visits, up 1.3% from 2,461,812 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 65.2%, so a January visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.