Best time to visit Lava Beds National Monument
April, September and October are the best balance at Lava Beds National Monument: mild and dry for the park (average highs 57° to 78°F), with moderate crowds. August is busiest, with about 24,000 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
- Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA USC00044838
- Lat / lon
- 41.70, -121.50
- Elevation
- 4,770 ft
- From park center
- 4.2 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Aprbest | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 43° | 46° | 52° | 57° | 66° | 76° | 86° | 86° | 78° | 66° | 50° | 41° | 62° |
| Low, °F | 23° | 25° | 28° | 31° | 38° | 44° | 53° | 51° | 45° | 36° | 27° | 22° | 35° |
| Precipitation, in | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 14.2 |
| Snow, in | 8.7 | 9.3 | 6.9 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 5.0 | 7.9 | 43.2 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:27 | 10:31 | 11:48 | 13:17 | 14:31 | 15:11 | 14:55 | 13:51 | 12:26 | 11:00 | 9:46 | 9:09 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 136 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Moderate | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Cool | Mild | Mild, wet | Mild | Hot | Hot | Mild | Mild | Cool | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 23° | 1.6 | 8.7 | 9:27 | 4,700 | Quiet | Cool |
| February | 46° | 25° | 2.1 | 9.3 | 10:31 | 6,900 | Quiet | Cool |
| March | 52° | 28° | 1.9 | 6.9 | 11:48 | 5,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Aprilbest | 57° | 31° | 1.3 | 4.0 | 13:17 | 7,800 | Moderate | Mild |
| May | 66° | 38° | 1.4 | 1.0 | 14:31 | 13,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| June | 76° | 44° | 1.0 | 0.1 | 15:11 | 21,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| July | 86° | 53° | 0.4 | 0 | 14:55 | 24,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 86° | 51° | 0.3 | 0 | 13:51 | 24,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| Septemberbest | 78° | 45° | 0.4 | 0 | 12:26 | 10,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| Octoberbest | 66° | 36° | 0.8 | 0.3 | 11:00 | 8,500 | Moderate | Mild |
| November | 50° | 27° | 1.5 | 5.0 | 9:46 | 6,500 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 41° | 22° | 1.5 | 7.9 | 9:09 | 5,300 | Quiet | Cool |
| Year | 62° | 35° | 14.2 | 43.2 | 136,000 | |||
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 86°F
- Coldest nights December, average low 22°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 136,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State California
Closures, reservations and alerts: Lava Beds National Monument on nps.gov
Nearby
- Crater Lake National ParkBest: Jun, Aug and Sep · Oregon
- Lassen Volcanic National ParkBest: May, Sep and Oct · California
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- Oregon Caves National Monument and PreserveBest: May and Oct · Oregon