How Crowded Is Santa Monica Mountains in December?
December is a quiet month at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, running about 0.8× the park's average month — roughly 7% of the year's visitors come in December. It is the quietest month of the year here — the best time to have the place largely to yourself, though you may trade away some warmth and daylight. You'll get about 9.7 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
December is quiet at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (about 0.8× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Excellent". The single best month overall is December.
The busiest month is May and the quietest is December. December sits at about 0.8× the park's average, or 7% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1982–2025). Updated 2026-06-20.