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WhenToVisitParks

Updated June 2026

Best Time to Visit Tule Springs Fossil Beds

National MonumentNevada

Our recommendation

Visit Tule Springs Fossil Beds in August

August offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). For comparison, February is the most crowded month (~1.5× the average month) and July is the quietest.

Annual visits

52K

2025

Busiest month

Feb

1.5× avg

Quietest month

Jul

0.4× avg

10-yr trend

steady

How crowded is Tule Springs Fossil Beds by month?

Relative crowd level by month (1.0 = the park's average month), from NPS visitation records 20212025.

1.4×Jan
1.5×Feb
1.5×Mar
1.2×Apr
1.1×May
0.6×Jun
0.4×Jul
0.5×Aug
0.7×Sep
1.0×Oct
1.1×Nov
1.1×Dec

Month-by-month crowd, weather & daylight

MonthCrowd levelBest-time scoreAvg high / lowDaylight
JanuaryBusy25 Poor57°F / 31°F9.8 h
FebruaryBusy25 Poor61°F / 34°F10.7 h
MarchBusy36 Poor68°F / 39°F11.7 h
AprilBusy54 Fair76°F / 45°F12.9 h
MayAverage71 Good85°F / 53°F13.9 h
JuneQuiet80 Excellent96°F / 61°F14.5 h
JulyVery quiet78 Excellent101°F / 68°F14.3 h
August★ bestVery quiet76 Excellent100°F / 66°F13.4 h
SeptemberQuiet74 Good92°F / 58°F12.2 h
OctoberAverage64 Good79°F / 46°F11.0 h
NovemberAverage45 Fair66°F / 36°F10.0 h
DecemberAverage33 Poor56°F / 30°F9.5 h

Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USC00262243, ~4 mi away).

About visiting Tule Springs Fossil Beds

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is a National Monument in NV and a relatively quiet park, drawing about 52,000 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has held fairly steady over the past decade. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: February is the busiest month at about 1.5× the park's average month, while July is the calmest at roughly 0.4× — a 3-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 13% of the year's visitors arrive in the three summer months of June, July and August alone, so timing a trip outside that window is the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels. Weather swings from an average high-season warmth near 84°F in July down to about 43°F in December, with the wettest stretch in February. About 7 months a year see comfortable average temperatures in the 50–80°F range, which is part of why crowd timing and weather timing don't always line up. The sweet spot is August: pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). Visit then and you trade a little peak-season certainty for noticeably shorter lines and easier parking than the February rush. Daylight ranges from about 9.5 hours in midwinter to 14.5 hours near the summer solstice, which shapes how much ground you can cover in a day. These crowd figures are drawn from 2021–2025 of National Park Service visitor-use records, paired with 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals, and are updated as new monthly data is released.

Park overview

Over the last ~570,000 years, water has transformed the Upper Las Vegas Valley. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is an urban park that preserves the unique story of this ever-changing environment.

Weather & conditions

The Tule Springs Fossil Beds is located within the Mojave Desert, with summer temperatures often exceeding 110° F (43.3° C). There are no sources of water or shade at Tule Springs, so it is recommended that you plan your summer visit (May - September) to Tule Springs before the hottest part of the day and exercise caution. Winter temperatures range, on average, from the low 30's F to low 70's F.

Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Serviceofficial park site.

Frequently Asked Questions

August offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season) at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. The park is busiest in February (about 1.5× the average month) and quietest in July.

February is the busiest month at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, running roughly 1.5 times the park's average monthly visitation.

July is the quietest month at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, at about 0.4× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument recorded about 51,964 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has been steady over the past decade.

Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument averages about 84°F (July). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.

Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (20212025), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Crowd index = a month's visits ÷ the park's average month.