National Park Crowd Calendar: Busiest and Quietest Months

Where the numbers come from

The National Park Service publishes monthly recreation visits for every park on its Visitor Use Statistics site. We copied each park's 2024 monthly figures, the most recent complete year without gaps across our 24 parks. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are reported separately by the NPS; we add them together because they're managed and visited as one.

Three patterns

Northern mountain parks: one big summer peak. Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mount Rainier and Crater Lake get most of their visits from June to September. In 2024, Yellowstone's busiest month was July with about 992,000 visits, while April and November each had under 10% of that. The NPS says most Yellowstone roads are closed to regular vehicles from early November to late April, so a quiet month isn't always an open one.

Desert parks: spring and fall, quieter in summer. Joshua Tree peaked in March 2024 and was quietest in July. Death Valley peaked in April and was quietest in June. Everglades peaked in March and was quietest in September.

Utah canyon parks: long seasons. Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon stay busy from spring into fall. Zion's busiest month was June, but March through October each had at least two-thirds of June's visits. Bryce Canyon peaked in September.

Shoulder months worth a look

Using 2024 counts, some months stand out as much quieter than the peak but still in season:

Check road and facility status for your dates; some shoulder months have limited access.

Reading the chart

• Share of peak compares each month with the park's busiest month. 50% means half as many visits.
• Weekends and holidays are busier than weekdays within any month; the monthly totals don't show that.
• Timed entry systems at some parks limit vehicles at peak times. Check the park's nps.gov page.

Pair it with the other tools

Once you've picked a month, check entrance costs with the pass calculator and daylight with park sunrise and sunset times. For a month-by-month list, see least crowded national parks by month.

Common questions

Which month is least crowded at Zion?

In 2024 Zion's quietest months were January (about 121,000 recreation visits), February and December. Its busiest was June at about 614,000.

When is Yellowstone least crowded?

In 2024 Yellowstone's lowest months were November, March and April. The NPS says most park roads are closed to regular vehicles from early November to late April, so those months are quiet partly because most of the park can't be driven. September had 86% of July's visits.

Why use 2024 instead of 2025?

2024 is the most recent complete year with no gaps for all 24 parks in our list. Some 2025 monthly figures are missing or recorded as zero, which would distort the comparison.

What is a recreation visit?

It is the NPS's standard measure of people entering a park for recreation. Parks estimate it with their own counting procedures, and the NPS publishes notes on data limitations, so compare months within a park rather than reading small differences closely.