How Crowded Is Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in August?

August runs about 1.9× Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 16% of the park's yearly visitors come in August.

In a typical August the park sees about 41,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 2016 to 2025.

That makes August the 2nd-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (2.1×) and the January low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score August rates 54/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated May at 82/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical August weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 84°F and an overnight low around 64°F.

That average of about 74°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

August falls inside the park's busiest stretch: June, July and August together pull about 48% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.

You'll have about 13.6 hours of daylight in August to explore — between the 9.1-hour midwinter low and the 14.9-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 189,721 recreation visits, down 10% from 210,741 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 7.1%, so August may feel a touch quieter than it once did.