How Crowded Is Rio Grande in December?
December is a very busy month at Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, running about 1.9× the park's average month — roughly 16% of the year's visitors come in December. That puts it between the March peak and the August low. Overall our best-time score rates December as "Poor" for a visit. Typical December weather averages a high near 62°F and a low around 38°F, with about 0.4" of precipitation. You'll get about 10.1 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
December is very busy at Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River (about 1.9× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Poor". The single best month overall is September.
The busiest month is March and the quietest is August. December sits at about 1.9× the park's average, or 16% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1985–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.