How Crowded Is Washington Monument in September?

September runs about 1× Washington Monument's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in September.

In a typical September the park sees about 41,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes September the 5th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the August peak (1.3×) and the February low (0.7×).

On our Best Time to Visit score September rates 51/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated February at 81/100 — the best overall balance of crowds and daylight.

Because June, July and August together draw about 31% of annual visitors, choosing September instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 12.2 hours of daylight in September to explore — between the 9.3-hour midwinter low and the 14.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 247,208 recreation visits, down 0.6% from 248,750 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 38.5%, so September may feel a touch quieter than it once did.