How Crowded Is Petrified Forest National Park in September?

September runs about 1× Petrified Forest National Park's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in September.

In a typical September the park sees about 53,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes September the 8th-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 September rates 71/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at Petrified Forest, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical September weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 82°F and an overnight low around 51°F, with about 1.1" of precipitation.

That average of about 67°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 September instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 12.2 hours of daylight in September 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 September may feel a touch quieter than it once did.