Best time to visit Buffalo National River
September and November are the best balance at Buffalo National River: mild and dry for the park (average highs 55° to 78°F), with crowds from quiet to moderate. June is busiest, with about 286,000 visitors. January is the quietest, with highs near 43°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Kingston 2S, AR USC00033909
- Lat / lon
- 36.01, -93.52
- Elevation
- 2,145 ft
- From park center
- 12 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Oct | Novbest | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 43° | 48° | 57° | 66° | 72° | 81° | 85° | 85° | 78° | 67° | 55° | 46° | 65° |
| Low, °F | 25° | 28° | 35° | 44° | 54° | 62° | 66° | 65° | 59° | 48° | 37° | 28° | 46° |
| Precipitation, in | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 50.1 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:57 | 10:49 | 11:51 | 13:03 | 14:03 | 14:36 | 14:23 | 13:31 | 12:22 | 11:12 | 10:12 | 9:43 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 25 | 37 | 103 | 137 | 236 | 286 | 261 | 138 | 125 | 94 | 60 | 41 | 1,543 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Hot | Mild | Mild, wet | Mild | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.3 | – | 9:57 | 25,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| February | 48° | 28° | 3.0 | – | 10:49 | 37,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| March | 57° | 35° | 4.3 | – | 11:51 | 103,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| April | 66° | 44° | 5.2 | – | 13:03 | 137,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| May | 72° | 54° | 5.5 | – | 14:03 | 236,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| June | 81° | 62° | 4.8 | – | 14:36 | 286,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| July | 85° | 66° | 4.4 | – | 14:23 | 261,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 85° | 65° | 3.5 | – | 13:31 | 138,000 | Moderate | Hot |
| Septemberbest | 78° | 59° | 4.2 | – | 12:22 | 125,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| October | 67° | 48° | 4.5 | – | 11:12 | 94,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Novemberbest | 55° | 37° | 4.1 | – | 10:12 | 60,000 | Quiet | Mild |
| December | 46° | 28° | 3.4 | – | 9:43 | 41,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Year | 65° | 46° | 50.1 | – | 1,543,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest August, average high 85°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 25°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 1,543,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Arkansas
Closures, reservations and alerts: Buffalo National River on nps.gov
Nearby
- Pea Ridge National Military ParkBest: Mar and Nov · Arkansas
- Wilson's Creek National BattlefieldBest: Oct and Nov · Missouri
- Fort Smith National Historic SiteBest: Feb and Nov · Arkansas
- Hot Springs National ParkBest: Feb · Arkansas