How Crowded Is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in December?

December runs about 0.8× Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 7% of the park's yearly visitors come in December.

In a typical December the park sees about 52,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1982 to 2025.

It is the quietest month of the year at Santa Monica Mountains; by contrast May, the busiest, runs about 1.3× the average — so December is the easiest time to have the place largely to yourself.

On our Best Time to Visit score December rates 79/100 ("Excellent") — the single best-rated month at Santa Monica Mountains, balancing crowds against daylight.

Because June, July and August together draw about 26% of annual visitors, choosing December instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 9.7 hours of daylight in December to explore — near the year-round minimum.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 722,626 recreation visits, up 13% from 639,745 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 10.3%, so December may feel a touch quieter than it once did.