Best time to visit Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
October and November are the best balance at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: mild and dry for the park (average highs 56° to 67°F), with crowds from busy to very busy. September is busiest, with about 457,000 visitors. January is the quietest, with highs near 42°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Martinsburg 2, WV USC00465706
- Lat / lon
- 39.47, -77.97
- Elevation
- 460 ft
- From park center
- 10.2 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Novbest | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 42° | 45° | 54° | 66° | 75° | 83° | 87° | 86° | 79° | 67° | 56° | 45° | 65° |
| Low, °F | 23° | 24° | 30° | 40° | 51° | 60° | 64° | 62° | 54° | 43° | 33° | 27° | 42° |
| Precipitation, in | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 41.4 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:39 | 10:38 | 11:49 | 13:11 | 14:20 | 14:57 | 14:42 | 13:43 | 12:24 | 11:05 | 9:56 | 9:23 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 232 | 244 | 343 | 428 | 435 | 442 | 439 | 429 | 457 | 445 | 343 | 255 | 4,491 |
| Crowds | Moderate | Moderate | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 23° | 2.8 | – | 9:39 | 232,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| February | 45° | 24° | 2.6 | – | 10:38 | 244,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| March | 54° | 30° | 3.7 | – | 11:49 | 343,000 | Busy | Cool |
| April | 66° | 40° | 3.6 | – | 13:11 | 428,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| May | 75° | 51° | 4.2 | – | 14:20 | 435,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| June | 83° | 60° | 3.5 | – | 14:57 | 442,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| July | 87° | 64° | 4.1 | – | 14:42 | 439,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 86° | 62° | 3.0 | – | 13:43 | 429,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| September | 79° | 54° | 4.2 | – | 12:24 | 457,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 67° | 43° | 3.4 | – | 11:05 | 445,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Novemberbest | 56° | 33° | 3.0 | – | 9:56 | 343,000 | Busy | Mild |
| December | 45° | 27° | 3.3 | – | 9:23 | 255,000 | Busy | Cool |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 41.4 | – | 4,491,000 | |||
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 23°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 4,491,000 (2023–2025 average)
- States Maryland and Washington, DC
Closures, reservations and alerts: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park on nps.gov
Nearby
- Antietam National BattlefieldBest: Oct and Nov · Maryland
- Harpers Ferry National Historical ParkBest: Oct and Nov · West Virginia
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- Monocacy National BattlefieldBest: Apr, Oct and Nov · Maryland