How Crowded Is Petrified Forest in January?
January is a very quiet month at Petrified Forest National Park, running about 0.4× the park's average month — roughly 4% of the year's visitors come in January. It is the quietest month of the year here — the best time to have the place largely to yourself, though you may trade away some warmth and daylight. Typical January weather averages a high near 48°F and a low around 22°F, with about 0.9" of precipitation. You'll get about 9.9 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
January is very quiet at Petrified Forest National Park (about 0.4× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Fair". The single best month overall is September.
The busiest month is June and the quietest is January. January sits at about 0.4× the park's average, or 4% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1979–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.