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WhenToVisitParks

Best Time to Visit District of Columbia National Parks

District of Columbia has 21 National Park Service units that report visitation. Below, each is ranked by annual visits, with the month our data recommends for the best balance of light crowds, comfortable weather and daylight. Crowds peak in summer almost everywhere — the recommended months show where the quieter shoulder seasons fall.

ParkAnnual visitsBest timeBusiestQuietest
Lincoln Memorial7,743,295FebruaryJulJan
George WashingtonMemorial Parkway6,732,932SeptemberAugJan
Vietnam Veterans Memorial4,848,112JanuaryMayJan
Chesapeake & Ohio CanalNational Historical Park4,579,704FebruaryJunJan
World War II Memorial3,993,717SeptemberMayJan
Korean War Veterans Memorial3,975,010FebruaryMayJan
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial2,843,263SeptemberMarDec
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial2,832,124SeptemberMarJan
Rock CreekPark1,865,048FebruaryJulDec
World War I Memorial838,999JanuaryAprJan
Dwight D. EisenhowerMemorial676,062SeptemberMarFeb
The White House and President's Park517,030JanuaryAprJan
Ford's TheatreNational Historic Site457,132JanuaryAprJan
Washington Monument247,208FebruaryAugFeb
LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac236,042AprilJulFeb
Theodore Roosevelt Island159,828FebruaryOctFeb
Pennsylvania Avenue141,840JanuaryJulJan
Frederick DouglassNational Historic Site25,836SeptemberJunJan
Belmont-Paul Women's EqualityNational Monument7,704SeptemberMarDec
Mary McLeod Bethune Council HouseNational Historic Site3,338JanuaryJulJan
Carter G. Woodson HomeNational Historic Site1,954AugustFebJan