How Crowded Is New River Gorge National Park & Preserve in September?

September runs about 1.2× New River Gorge National Park & Preserve's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 10% of the park's yearly visitors come in September.

In a typical September the park sees about 145,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1984 to 2025.

That makes September the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (1.9×) and the January low (0.3×).

On our Best Time to Visit score September rates 62/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at New River Gorge, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical September weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 74°F and an overnight low around 55°F, with about 3.2" of precipitation.

That average of about 65°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 43% 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 9.4-hour midwinter low and the 14.6-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 1,958,440 recreation visits, up 8.1% from 1,811,937 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 49.7%, so a September visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.