Best time to visit Channel Islands National Park
May, September and October are the best balance at Channel Islands: mild and dry for the park (average highs 72° to 78°F), with busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 33,000 visitors. January is the quietest.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Santa Barbara, CA USC00047902
- Lat / lon
- 34.42, -119.68
- Elevation
- 16 ft
- From park center
- 27.5 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | Maybest | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 67° | 67° | 68° | 71° | 72° | 73° | 76° | 78° | 78° | 76° | 71° | 66° | 72° |
| Low, °F | 47° | 47° | 49° | 51° | 54° | 57° | 60° | 60° | 60° | 56° | 50° | 46° | 53° |
| Precipitation, in | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | T | T | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 19.0 |
| Snow, in | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 10:07 | 10:55 | 11:52 | 12:59 | 13:55 | 14:24 | 14:13 | 13:25 | 12:21 | 11:16 | 10:21 | 9:54 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 15 | 16 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 30 | 33 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 273 |
| Crowds | Moderate | Moderate | Busy | Busy | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Moderate | |
| Weather | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild, wet | Mild, wet |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 47° | 4.4 | 0 | 10:07 | 15,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| February | 67° | 47° | 4.4 | 0 | 10:55 | 16,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| March | 68° | 49° | 3.2 | 0 | 11:52 | 23,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| April | 71° | 51° | 1.0 | 0 | 12:59 | 24,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| Maybest | 72° | 54° | 0.4 | 0 | 13:55 | 26,000 | Busy | Mild |
| June | 73° | 57° | 0.1 | 0 | 14:24 | 30,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| July | 76° | 60° | T | 0 | 14:13 | 33,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| August | 78° | 60° | T | 0 | 13:25 | 27,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Septemberbest | 78° | 60° | 0.1 | 0 | 12:21 | 23,000 | Busy | Mild |
| Octoberbest | 76° | 56° | 0.8 | 0 | 11:16 | 21,000 | Busy | Mild |
| November | 71° | 50° | 1.4 | 0 | 10:21 | 19,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| December | 66° | 46° | 3.1 | 0 | 9:54 | 16,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Year | 72° | 53° | 19.0 | 0 | 273,000 | |||
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 78°F
- Coldest nights December, average low 46°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 273,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State California
Closures, reservations and alerts: Channel Islands National Park on nps.gov
Nearby
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaBest: Aug, Sep and Oct · California
- Cabrillo National MonumentBest: May, Sep and Oct · California
- Sequoia National ParkBest: May, Jun and Oct · California
- Pinnacles National ParkBest: May · California