How Crowded Is Yosemite National Park in May?

May runs about 1.2× Yosemite National Park's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 10% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 403,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (1.7×) and the January low (0.4×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 58/100 ("Fair") — the single best-rated month at Yosemite, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 71°F and an overnight low around 45°F, with about 1.9" of precipitation.

That average of about 58°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 42% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 14 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.4-hour midwinter low and the 14.6-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 4,278,413 recreation visits, up 3.8% from 4,121,807 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 12.3%, so May may feel a touch quieter than it once did.