How Crowded Is Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve in January?

January runs about 0.1× Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve'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 30 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1982 to 2025.

That makes January the 11th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the August peak (3.4×) and the November low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 40/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated May at 63/100 — 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 -1°F and an overnight low around -17°F, with about 0.6" of precipitation and roughly 9" of snow.

That average of about -9°F is cold, with winter conditions likely on higher ground.

Because June, July and August together draw about 75% 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 4.4 hours of daylight in January to explore — between the 2.9-hour midwinter low and the 21.1-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2018 drew 1,272 recreation visits, up 12.3% from 1,133 in 2015.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 80.2%, so January may feel a touch quieter than it once did.