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Best time to visit Redwood

How busy the park gets each month, what the weather is like, and the weeks to aim for or avoid.

By The Green Adventures · Updated · How we check

  • Best time to visit Redwood: May and August to October. The weather is at its most comfortable then, and crowds are lighter than at the peak.
  • Busiest month: July, with about 76,623 visits in a typical recent year. That is 3.9 times as many as January.
  • Quietest month: January (19,701 visits).
JanQuiet52°36°
FebQuiet54°37°
MarModerate56°37°
AprModerate58°39°
MayBusy61°43°Best
JunBusiest64°46°
JulBusiest67°49°
AugBusiest69°49°Best
SepBusiest69°45°Best
OctBusy65°42°Best
NovQuiet56°39°
DecQuiet51°36°

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 Quiet 19,701 52° / 36° n/a n/a
February Quiet 20,696 54° / 37° n/a n/a
March Moderate 31,038 56° / 37° n/a n/a
April Moderate 39,650 58° / 39° n/a n/a
May ★ Busy 58,433 61° / 43° n/a n/a
June Busiest 72,463 64° / 46° n/a n/a
July Busiest 76,623 67° / 49° n/a n/a
August ★ Busiest 66,160 69° / 49° n/a n/a
September ★ Busiest 62,670 69° / 45° n/a n/a
October ★ Busy 46,189 65° / 42° n/a n/a
November Quiet 26,022 56° / 39° n/a n/a
December Quiet 23,067 51° / 36° n/a n/a

Weather figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Orick Prairie Creek Park station (160 feet above sea level), 6 miles from Thomas H. Kuchel 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): 24% of the year’s visits; average highs 56° to 61°F.
  • Summer (June to August): 40% of the year’s visits; average highs 64° to 69°F.
  • Fall (September to November): 25% of the year’s visits; average highs 56° to 69°F.
  • Winter (December to February): 12% of the year’s visits; average highs 51° to 54°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

See the crowd calendar for all 64 parks.

Weather, in the park service’s words

Visitors should be prepared for cooler and damp weather. Dress in layers and expect to get wet. Year-round temperatures along California's redwood coast: mid-40s°F (7°C) to mid-60s°F (18°C). Summer can be foggy, with highs occasionally reaching low 70s°F (20°C). Winters are cooler with considerable rain. October through April averages 60-80 inches of rain over the region.

From the National Park Service (public domain).

Today at Redwood

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Alerts: National Park Service, checked hourly. Forecast: National Weather Service, for Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Always confirm on the official park site before you set out.

Sources

Last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best month to visit Redwood?
May and August to October. July is the busiest month and January the quietest while the park is fully open.
What is the busiest month at Redwood?
July, with about 76,623 recreation visits in a typical recent year.
How crowded is Redwood in summer?
Summer brings 40% of the year’s visits; average highs 64° to 69°F.