Historic lows

The month with the lowest mean is not a secret season.

For each park with a classified peak, this table names the calendar month whose 2016–2025 mean recreation visits are lowest, and how many times higher the peak month’s mean is. A large ratio means the historic record is uneven. It does not mean the quiet month is open, pleasant, or empty.

ParkLowest meanHighest meanPeak ÷ low
Kenai Fjords National ParkNovemberJuly7755.0
Gates of the Arctic National ParkNovemberAugust1589.5
Wrangell-St. Elias National ParkJanuaryJuly918.7
Glacier Bay National ParkFebruaryJuly637.3
Isle Royale National ParkJanuaryAugust509.8
North Cascades National ParkDecemberAugust455.1
Katmai National ParkFebruaryJuly374.9
Voyageurs National ParkAprilAugust259.6
Denali National ParkJanuaryJuly124.9
Lake Clark National ParkJanuaryJuly114.9
Theodore Roosevelt National ParkDecemberJuly57.6
Acadia National ParkFebruaryAugust57.3
Glacier National ParkFebruaryJuly50.5
Yellowstone National ParkNovemberJuly45.3
Crater Lake National ParkJanuaryJuly36.5
Badlands National ParkDecemberJuly24.7
Mount Rainier National ParkFebruaryJuly22.3
Great Sand Dunes National ParkJanuaryJune20.6
Mesa Verde National ParkJanuaryJuly16.5
Great Basin National ParkDecemberJuly15.5
Lassen Volcanic National ParkMarchJuly15.5
Grand Teton National ParkDecemberJuly15.2
Shenandoah National ParkJanuaryOctober12.7
Capitol Reef National ParkJanuaryMay12.5
Canyonlands National ParkJanuaryMay11.2
Bryce Canyon National ParkJanuarySeptember10.6
Wind Cave National ParkJanuaryJuly10.2
Gateway Arch National ParkJanuaryJuly9.9
Mammoth Cave National ParkJanuaryJuly8.0
Kings Canyon National ParkFebruaryJuly8.0
Olympic National ParkDecemberAugust7.9
Rocky Mountain National ParkFebruaryJuly7.9
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkDecemberJuly7.8
New River Gorge National Park and PreserveJanuaryJuly7.0
Arches National ParkJanuaryJune6.4
Indiana Dunes National ParkJanuaryJuly6.2
Sequoia National ParkFebruaryJuly5.2
Big Bend National ParkAugustMarch5.1
Yosemite National ParkJanuaryJuly4.8
Chiricahua National ParkAugustMarch4.7
Zion National ParkJanuaryJune4.7
Great Smoky Mountains National ParkJanuaryJuly3.8
Saguaro National ParkSeptemberMarch3.8
Redwood National ParkFebruaryJuly3.7
Cuyahoga Valley National ParkJanuaryJuly3.7
Virgin Islands National ParkSeptemberMarch3.5
Carlsbad Caverns National ParkJanuaryJuly3.4
Petrified Forest National ParkJanuaryJune3.2
Grand Canyon National ParkJanuaryJuly3.1
Guadalupe Mountains National ParkJanuaryMarch3.0
Joshua Tree National ParkJulyMarch2.8
Channel Islands National ParkJanuaryJuly2.8
Everglades National ParkSeptemberFebruary2.7
Kobuk Valley National ParkFebruaryOctober2.7
National Park of American SamoaJuneApril2.5
White Sands National ParkJanuaryMarch2.5
Hot Springs National ParkJanuaryJune2.5
Congaree National ParkJanuaryMarch2.2
Death Valley National ParkJuneMarch2.1
Pinnacles National ParkSeptemberMarch1.9
Dry Tortugas National ParkOctoberJune1.8
Biscayne National ParkOctoberJuly1.8
Hawai'i Volcanoes National ParkSeptemberJanuary1.5

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