How Crowded Is Mojave National Preserve in January?

January runs about 1× Mojave National Preserve's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees about 60,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1997 to 2025.

That makes January the 7th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the November peak (1.3×) and the August low (0.7×).

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 46/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated August at 79/100 — 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 54°F and an overnight low around 40°F, with about 1.3" of precipitation.

That average of about 47°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 22% 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 — between the 9.6-hour midwinter low and the 14.4-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 569,844 recreation visits, up 34.1% from 424,864 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 7.7%, so a January visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.