How Crowded Is Petrified Forest National Park in January?

January runs about 0.4× Petrified Forest National Park's average month, which makes it a very quiet month here — roughly 4% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees about 22,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the quietest month of the year at Petrified Forest; by contrast June, the busiest, runs about 1.7× the average — so January is the easiest time to have the place largely to yourself.

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 50/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 71/100 — 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 48°F and an overnight low around 22°F, with about 0.9" of precipitation.

That average of about 35°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 37% 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, 2024 drew 559,254 recreation visits, up 7.4% from 520,491 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 20.5%, so January may feel a touch quieter than it once did.