How Crowded Is Petrified Forest National Park in November?

November runs about 0.6× Petrified Forest National Park's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 5% of the park's yearly visitors come in November.

In a typical November the park sees about 32,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes November the 9th-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 November rates 54/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 71/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical November weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 58°F and an overnight low around 28°F, with about 0.6" of precipitation.

That average of about 43°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

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

You'll have about 10.1 hours of daylight in November 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 November may feel a touch quieter than it once did.