Best time to visit Mammoth Cave National Park
October and November are the best balance at Mammoth Cave: mild and dry for the park (average highs 61° to 74°F), with moderate crowds. July is busiest, with about 100,000 visitors. January is the quietest, with highs near 48°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Mammoth Cave, KY USC00155097
- Lat / lon
- 37.13, -86.15
- Elevation
- 760 ft
- From park center
- 4.2 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Novbest | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 48° | 53° | 62° | 73° | 81° | 88° | 91° | 90° | 85° | 74° | 61° | 51° | 72° |
| Low, °F | 29° | 32° | 40° | 48° | 57° | 64° | 68° | 67° | 60° | 49° | 40° | 33° | 49° |
| Precipitation, in | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 53.5 |
| Snow, in | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:52 | 10:46 | 11:51 | 13:06 | 14:08 | 14:42 | 14:29 | 13:35 | 12:22 | 11:10 | 10:07 | 9:37 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 17 | 23 | 72 | 65 | 67 | 90 | 100 | 76 | 56 | 53 | 33 | 35 | 687 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Busy | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Very hot | Very hot | Hot | Mild | Mild | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 29° | 3.7 | 0.7 | 9:52 | 17,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| February | 53° | 32° | 4.5 | 1.4 | 10:46 | 23,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| March | 62° | 40° | 5.0 | 0.6 | 11:51 | 72,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| April | 73° | 48° | 4.9 | 0 | 13:06 | 65,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| May | 81° | 57° | 5.2 | 0 | 14:08 | 67,000 | Busy | Hot |
| June | 88° | 64° | 4.8 | 0 | 14:42 | 90,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| July | 91° | 68° | 4.9 | 0 | 14:29 | 100,000 | Very busy | Very hot |
| August | 90° | 67° | 3.8 | 0 | 13:35 | 76,000 | Busy | Very hot |
| September | 85° | 60° | 4.0 | 0 | 12:22 | 56,000 | Busy | Hot |
| Octoberbest | 74° | 49° | 3.8 | 0 | 11:10 | 53,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| Novemberbest | 61° | 40° | 4.1 | 0 | 10:07 | 33,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| December | 51° | 33° | 4.8 | 1.3 | 9:37 | 35,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| Year | 72° | 49° | 53.5 | 4.0 | 687,000 | |||
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 91°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 29°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 687,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Kentucky
Closures, reservations and alerts: Mammoth Cave National Park on nps.gov
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