How Crowded Is Yellowstone National Park in January?

January runs about 0.1× Yellowstone National Park's average month, which makes it a very quiet month here — roughly 1% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees about 36,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes January the 9th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (2.7×) and the November low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 41/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated April at 48/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical January weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 23°F and an overnight low around 1°F, with about 1.8" of precipitation.

That average of about 12°F is cold, with winter conditions likely on higher ground.

Because June, July and August together draw about 61% of annual visitors, choosing January instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 9 hours of daylight in January to explore — between the 8.6-hour midwinter low and the 15.4-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 4,762,988 recreation visits, about flat from 4,744,353 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 7.5%, so a January visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.