How Crowded Is Hot Springs National Park in September?

September runs about 0.8× Hot Springs National Park's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 7% of the park's yearly visitors come in September.

In a typical September the park sees about 135,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes September the 9th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the June peak (1.5×) and the January low (0.6×).

On our Best Time to Visit score September rates 69/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at Hot Springs, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical September weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 86°F and an overnight low around 64°F, with about 4.2" of precipitation.

That average of about 75°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 34% of annual visitors, choosing September instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 12.2 hours of daylight in September to explore — between the 9.7-hour midwinter low and the 14.3-hour summer high.

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 September visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.