How Crowded Is Salem Maritime National Historical Park in August?

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

In a typical August the park sees about 40,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes August the 5th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the October peak (3.5×) and the January low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score August rates 76/100 ("Excellent") — the single best-rated month at Salem Maritime, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical August weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 79°F and an overnight low around 60°F, with about 3.3" of precipitation.

That average of about 69°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

August falls inside the park's busiest stretch: June, July and August together pull about 36% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.

You'll have about 13.7 hours of daylight in August to explore — between the 8.9-hour midwinter low and the 15.1-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 569,839 recreation visits, up 16.6% from 488,831 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 44.1%, so a August visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.