How Crowded Is Petrified Forest National Park in May?

May runs about 1.3× Petrified Forest National Park's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 11% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 70,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 3rd-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the June peak (1.7×) and the January low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 58/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 71/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 78°F and an overnight low around 44°F, with about 0.5" of precipitation.

That average of about 61°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 37% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 13.8 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.7-hour midwinter low and the 14.3-hour summer high.

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 May may feel a touch quieter than it once did.