Valles Caldera National Preserve in November

Roughly 6% of the park's yearly visitors come in November: roughly 4,000 recreation visits in a typical year, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 2020 to 2025.

That makes November the 8th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the September peak (1.7×) and the February low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score November rates 36/100 ("Poor"). Our recommended month is May: the lightest crowds of the park's good-weather months.

The daily average of about 31°F is cold, with winter conditions likely on higher ground. These figures are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals from the nearest station, about 4 miles from the park.

Because June, July and August together draw about 35% of annual visitors, choosing November instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 10.1 hours of daylight in November to explore — between the 9.6-hour midwinter low and the 14.4-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 84,952 recreation visits, up 3.5% from 82,111 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 152%, so a November visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.