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Best National Parks to Visit in Every Month of the Year

By The Green Adventures · Updated · How we check

Which national parks are at their best in March? In October? Here is every month, with the parks where comfortable weather meets smaller crowds.

January

  • Saguaro (Arizona): average high 67°F, busy crowds
  • Everglades (Florida): average high 78°F, busiest crowds
  • Death Valley (California and Nevada): average high 67°F, moderate crowds
  • Big Bend (Texas): average high 61°F, moderate crowds
  • Biscayne (Florida): average high 76°F, busy crowds
  • Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands): average high 84°F, busiest crowds
  • Pinnacles (California): average high 63°F, busy crowds
  • Channel Islands (California): average high 67°F, moderate crowds
  • Dry Tortugas (Florida): average high 75°F, busy crowds

February

  • Joshua Tree (California): average high 63°F, busy crowds
  • Death Valley (California and Nevada): average high 74°F, busy crowds
  • Saguaro (Arizona): average high 70°F, busiest crowds
  • Everglades (Florida): average high 81°F, busiest crowds
  • Big Bend (Texas): average high 66°F, moderate crowds
  • Biscayne (Florida): average high 78°F, busy crowds
  • White Sands (New Mexico): average high 63°F, moderate crowds
  • Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands): average high 84°F, busy crowds
  • Pinnacles (California): average high 64°F, busy crowds
  • Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico): average high 61°F, moderate crowds
  • Channel Islands (California): average high 67°F, moderate crowds
  • Congaree (South Carolina): average high 61°F, moderate crowds
  • Dry Tortugas (Florida): average high 76°F, busy crowds
  • Chiricahua (Arizona): average high 61°F, moderate crowds

March

  • Zion (Utah): average high 66°F, busy crowds
  • Arches (Utah): average high 62°F, busy crowds
  • Petrified Forest (Arizona): average high 64°F, busiest crowds
  • Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands): average high 84°F, busiest crowds

April

  • Great Smoky Mountains (North Carolina and Tennessee): average high 69°F, busy crowds
  • Zion (Utah): average high 73°F, busiest crowds
  • Joshua Tree (California): average high 77°F, busiest crowds
  • Yosemite (California): average high 63°F, moderate crowds
  • Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio): average high 60°F, moderate crowds
  • Gateway Arch (Missouri): average high 68°F, quiet crowds
  • Arches (Utah): average high 70°F, busiest crowds
  • Capitol Reef (Utah): average high 65°F, busy crowds
  • Shenandoah (Virginia): average high 67°F, moderate crowds
  • New River Gorge (West Virginia): average high 64°F, moderate crowds
  • Canyonlands (Utah): average high 62°F, busiest crowds
  • Sequoia (California): average high 69°F, moderate crowds
  • White Sands (New Mexico): average high 79°F, busy crowds
  • Mammoth Cave (Kentucky): average high 73°F, busy crowds
  • Petrified Forest (Arizona): average high 72°F, busy crowds
  • Congaree (South Carolina): average high 77°F, busy crowds

May

  • Yellowstone (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho): average high 60°F, moderate crowds
  • Grand Canyon (Arizona): average high 68°F, busiest crowds
  • Yosemite (California): average high 70°F, busy crowds
  • Acadia (Maine): average high 64°F, moderate crowds
  • Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio): average high 70°F, busiest crowds
  • Bryce Canyon (Utah): average high 63°F, busiest crowds
  • Grand Teton (Wyoming): average high 62°F, quiet crowds
  • Olympic (Washington): average high 64°F, moderate crowds
  • Indiana Dunes (Indiana): average high 68°F, moderate crowds
  • Gateway Arch (Missouri): average high 76°F, moderate crowds
  • Capitol Reef (Utah): average high 74°F, busiest crowds
  • Arches (Utah): average high 80°F, busiest crowds
  • Shenandoah (Virginia): average high 74°F, moderate crowds
  • Sequoia (California): average high 79°F, busy crowds
  • Canyonlands (Utah): average high 72°F, busiest crowds
  • Hawaiʻi Volcanoes (Hawaii): average high 70°F, busy crowds
  • Badlands (South Dakota): average high 72°F, moderate crowds
  • Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota): average high 67°F, moderate crowds
  • Wind Cave (South Dakota): average high 66°F, moderate crowds
  • Great Sand Dunes (Colorado): average high 66°F, busy crowds
  • Redwood (California): average high 61°F, busy crowds
  • Mesa Verde (Colorado): average high 70°F, busy crowds
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado): average high 66°F, busy crowds
  • Voyageurs (Minnesota): average high 64°F, moderate crowds
  • Guadalupe Mountains (Texas): average high 79°F, moderate crowds
  • Great Basin (Nevada): average high 64°F, busy crowds
  • Chiricahua (Arizona): average high 83°F, moderate crowds

June

July

August

September

October

November

  • Joshua Tree (California): average high 69°F, busy crowds
  • Zion (Utah): average high 64°F, moderate crowds
  • Hot Springs (Arkansas): average high 62°F, moderate crowds
  • Death Valley (California and Nevada): average high 77°F, busy crowds
  • Saguaro (Arizona): average high 76°F, moderate crowds
  • Sequoia (California): average high 66°F, quiet crowds
  • Haleakalā (Hawaii): average high 63°F, busy crowds
  • Everglades (Florida): average high 83°F, busy crowds
  • Big Bend (Texas): average high 69°F, busy crowds
  • White Sands (New Mexico): average high 67°F, moderate crowds
  • Mammoth Cave (Kentucky): average high 61°F, quiet crowds
  • Biscayne (Florida): average high 81°F, moderate crowds
  • Petrified Forest (Arizona): average high 61°F, moderate crowds
  • Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico): average high 65°F, moderate crowds
  • Congaree (South Carolina): average high 67°F, busy crowds
  • Pinnacles (California): average high 70°F, moderate crowds
  • Channel Islands (California): average high 71°F, busy crowds
  • Guadalupe Mountains (Texas): average high 61°F, moderate crowds
  • Dry Tortugas (Florida): average high 81°F, busy crowds
  • Chiricahua (Arizona): average high 66°F, moderate crowds

December

  • Death Valley (California and Nevada): average high 66°F, busy crowds
  • Saguaro (Arizona): average high 66°F, busy crowds
  • Everglades (Florida): average high 80°F, busy crowds
  • Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands): average high 85°F, busiest crowds
  • Biscayne (Florida): average high 78°F, moderate crowds
  • Channel Islands (California): average high 66°F, moderate crowds
  • Dry Tortugas (Florida): average high 77°F, busiest crowds

How we picked

For each park we score every month on comfort (average highs near 62 to 82°F, little snow, moderate rain, from NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals) and on crowds (park service monthly visits, 2022 to 2025), and skip months when so few people visit that roads or services are likely closed. The top months for each park appear here; see the crowd calendar for every month at once, or let the park finder match parks to your trip.

Sources

Last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What national park is best in winter?

Desert and southern parks: Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Saguaro, Big Bend, Everglades and the Florida and Caribbean parks are at their best from December to February.

What is the best national park to visit in summer?

Northern and high parks: Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Lassen Volcanic and the Alaska parks are best in July and August, though summer is also their busiest time.

Which national parks are best in the fall?

Fall is a sweet spot for many: Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains all have good weather and smaller crowds than summer.

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