- Best time to visit Crater Lake: August and September. The weather is at its most comfortable then, and crowds are lighter than at the peak.
- Busiest month: July, with about 154,502 visits in a typical recent year. That is 4.9 times as many as May.
- Quietest month: January (4,808 visits), when weather or closures keep most people away.
- Cold: average highs stay below 40°F in January to March, November and December.
- Snow: January to May and October to December average 6 inches or more of snow at the station, and high roads and trails often close.
- Wettest month: December, with 11.3 inches on average.
Bar height: visitors that month, compared with the busiest month. Temperatures: average daily high and low (°F); rain and snow: monthly averages. Best marks the months we suggest.
Month by month
| Month | Crowds | Visits (typical) | High / low (°F) | Precipitation | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Very quiet | 4,808 | 33° / 20° | 10.1 in | 86 in |
| February | Very quiet | 6,723 | 34° / 19° | 7.5 in | 69 in |
| March | Very quiet | 9,605 | 36° / 20° | 7.8 in | 72 in |
| April | Very quiet | 14,805 | 40° / 23° | 6.2 in | 49 in |
| May | Quiet | 31,764 | 49° / 29° | 3.6 in | 14 in |
| June | Moderate | 68,643 | 57° / 34° | 2.3 in | 4 in |
| July | Busiest | 154,502 | 69° / 41° | 0.8 in | 0 in |
| August ★ | Busy | 117,265 | 69° / 42° | 0.8 in | 0 in |
| September ★ | Moderate | 78,758 | 63° / 37° | 1.9 in | 2 in |
| October | Quiet | 41,046 | 51° / 30° | 4.8 in | 17 in |
| November | Very quiet | 8,859 | 38° / 23° | 9.6 in | 59 in |
| December | Very quiet | 5,244 | 33° / 19° | 11.3 in | 91 in |
Weather figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Crater Lake Nps HQ station (6,485 feet above sea level), 1 miles from Rim Visitor Center. Visitor numbers are the median of 2022 to 2025 monthly recreation visits from the National Park Service.
By season
- Spring (March to May): 10% of the year’s visits; average highs 36° to 49°F.
- Summer (June to August): 63% of the year’s visits; average highs 57° to 69°F.
- Fall (September to November): 24% of the year’s visits; average highs 38° to 63°F.
- Winter (December to February): 3% of the year’s visits; average highs 33° to 34°F.
Weekends and holidays
Even in a quiet month, holiday weekends fill parking lots and campgrounds. The 2027 federal holidays to plan around:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 18
- Presidents Day: Monday, February 15
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 31
- Juneteenth: Saturday, June 19
- Independence Day: Sunday, July 4 (observed Monday, July 5)
- Labor Day: Monday, September 6
- Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day: Monday, October 11
- Veterans Day: Thursday, November 11
- Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 25
Entrance is free for U.S. residents on the park service’s fee-free days. The last one in 2026 is Veterans Day, November 11; the 2027 dates had not been announced when we checked. Free days are often busier. See the crowd calendar for all 64 parks.
Weather, in the park service’s words
July, August, and September are your best bets for warm, dry weather. In May, June, and October, sunny days alternate with periods of rain and snow. Winters at Crater Lake are long and snowy. Storms from the Pacific Ocean dump an annual average of 41 feet (13.5 meters) of snow at park headquarters. When it's raining or snowing, the lake is usually hidden by clouds. Crater Lake is completely invisible about 50% of the time in the winter!
From the National Park Service (public domain).
Today at Crater Lake
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Alerts: National Park Service, checked hourly. Forecast: National Weather Service, for Rim Visitor Center. Always confirm on the official park site before you set out.
Sources
- National Park Service visitor use statistics (IRMA): monthly recreation visits, 2022 to 2025
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991 to 2020 (monthly)
- National Park Service Data API: weather overview (public domain)
Last checked 1 November 2026.