Best time to visit Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
April, May and October have the mildest temperatures at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, though they are among the wetter months. July is busiest, with about 49,000 visitors. November is the quietest, with highs near 44°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Lovell, WY USC00485770
- Lat / lon
- 44.84, -108.40
- Elevation
- 3,847 ft
- From park center
- 20.1 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Aprbest | Maybest | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 31° | 36° | 50° | 58° | 67° | 78° | 87° | 85° | 74° | 59° | 44° | 33° | 58° |
| Low, °F | 7° | 12° | 23° | 31° | 42° | 50° | 56° | 52° | 43° | 32° | 20° | 10° | 32° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6.5 |
| Snow, in | 3.5 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 13.3 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:07 | 10:20 | 11:46 | 13:26 | 14:50 | 15:36 | 15:18 | 14:05 | 12:28 | 10:52 | 9:28 | 8:46 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 5 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 49 | 44 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 222 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 7° | 0.2 | 3.5 | 9:07 | 4,800 | Quiet | Cold |
| February | 36° | 12° | 0.3 | 2.8 | 10:20 | 4,600 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 50° | 23° | 0.2 | 1.2 | 11:46 | 6,600 | Quiet | Cool |
| Aprilbest | 58° | 31° | 0.7 | 0.7 | 13:26 | 14,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| Maybest | 67° | 42° | 1.1 | 0.1 | 14:50 | 21,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| June | 78° | 50° | 1.2 | 0 | 15:36 | 35,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 87° | 56° | 0.6 | 0 | 15:18 | 49,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 85° | 52° | 0.3 | 0 | 14:05 | 44,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| September | 74° | 43° | 0.8 | 0.1 | 12:28 | 23,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 59° | 32° | 0.7 | 0.8 | 10:52 | 11,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| November | 44° | 20° | 0.2 | 1.5 | 9:28 | 5,100 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 33° | 10° | 0.2 | 2.6 | 8:46 | 4,400 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 58° | 32° | 6.5 | 13.3 | 222,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 87°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 7°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 222,000 (2023–2025 average)
- States Montana and Wyoming
Closures, reservations and alerts: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area on nps.gov
Nearby
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National MonumentBest: Apr, Sep and Oct · Montana
- Yellowstone National ParkBest: Jul, Aug and Sep · Montana and Wyoming
- John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial ParkwayBest: May, Jun and Sep · Wyoming
- Grand Teton National ParkBest: Jun, Aug and Sep · Wyoming