Best time to visit Crater Lake National Park
June, August and September are the best balance at Crater Lake: mild and dry for the park (average highs 57° to 69°F), with crowds from moderate to very busy. July is busiest, with about 163,000 visitors. April is the quietest, with highs near 40°F. January sees few or no visitors, so parts of the park may be closed: check nps.gov.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Crater Lake Nps HQ, OR USC00351946
- Lat / lon
- 42.90, -122.13
- Elevation
- 6,485 ft
- From park center
- 3.3 mi
- Second station
- Chiloquin 12 NW (fort Klamath), OR 4,180 ft
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Junbest | Jul | Augbest | Sepbest | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 33° | 34° | 36° | 40° | 49° | 57° | 69° | 69° | 63° | 51° | 38° | 33° | 48° |
| Low, °F | 20° | 19° | 20° | 23° | 29° | 34° | 41° | 42° | 37° | 30° | 23° | 19° | 28° |
| High at 4,180 ft, °F | 39° | 44° | 50° | 57° | 66° | 75° | 85° | 84° | 78° | 64° | 48° | 39° | 61° |
| Precipitation, in | 10.1 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 6.2 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 9.6 | 11.3 | 66.8 |
| Snow, in | 86.5 | 68.9 | 71.9 | 48.7 | 14.5 | 3.7 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 | 17.2 | 59.3 | 90.6 | 463.1 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:20 | 10:27 | 11:47 | 13:20 | 14:37 | 15:20 | 15:03 | 13:56 | 12:26 | 10:58 | 9:40 | 9:02 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 5 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 31 | 65 | 163 | 137 | 87 | 33 | 10 | 7 | 566 |
| Crowds | Few or no visits | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cold | Cool | Cool | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Cool | Cold | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | High at 4,180 ft | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 20° | 39° | 10.1 | 86.5 | 9:20 | 4,700 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| February | 34° | 19° | 44° | 7.5 | 68.9 | 10:27 | 5,500 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 36° | 20° | 50° | 7.8 | 71.9 | 11:47 | 9,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| April | 40° | 23° | 57° | 6.2 | 48.7 | 13:20 | 15,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| May | 49° | 29° | 66° | 3.6 | 14.5 | 14:37 | 31,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Junebest | 57° | 34° | 75° | 2.3 | 3.7 | 15:20 | 65,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| July | 69° | 41° | 85° | 0.8 | 0 | 15:03 | 163,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Augustbest | 69° | 42° | 84° | 0.8 | 0 | 13:56 | 137,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Septemberbest | 63° | 37° | 78° | 1.9 | 1.8 | 12:26 | 87,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| October | 51° | 30° | 64° | 4.8 | 17.2 | 10:58 | 33,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| November | 38° | 23° | 48° | 9.6 | 59.3 | 9:40 | 9,700 | Quiet | Cold |
| December | 33° | 19° | 39° | 11.3 | 90.6 | 9:02 | 7,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 48° | 28° | 61° | 66.8 | 463.1 | 566,000 | |||
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 69°F
- Coldest nights February, average low 19°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 566,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Oregon
Elevation matters here: the record's second station, Chiloquin 12 NW (fort Klamath), OR, sits at 4,180 ft, against 6,485 ft for Crater Lake Nps HQ, OR. Expect conditions between the two depending on where you go.
Closures, reservations and alerts: Crater Lake National Park on nps.gov
Nearby
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