How Crowded Is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in July?
July runs about 1× Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in July.
In a typical July the park sees about 66,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1982 to 2025.
That makes July the 5th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the May peak (1.3×) and the December low (0.8×).
On our Best Time to Visit score July rates 62/100 ("Good"), versus the top-rated December at 79/100 — the best overall balance of crowds and daylight.
July falls inside the park's busiest stretch: June, July and August together pull about 26% of the year's visitors, so a visit this month means sharing the park with the peak-season crowd.
You'll have about 14.1 hours of daylight in July to explore — near the year-round maximum.
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 July may feel a touch quieter than it once did.
Frequently Asked Questions
July is average at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (about 1.0× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Good". The single best month overall is December.
The busiest month is May and the quietest is December. July sits at about 1.0× the park's average, or 8% of annual visitation.
A typical July sees about 66,000 recreation visits at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1982–2025.
Where to stay near Santa Monica Mountains in July
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See the full ranking of the best national parks to visit in July.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1982–2025). Updated 2026-07-14.