Best time to visit Manzanar National Historic Site
April is the best balance at Manzanar National Historic Site: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 76°F), with very busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 12,000 visitors. January is the quietest.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Independence, CA USC00044232
- Lat / lon
- 36.80, -118.20
- Elevation
- 3,950 ft
- From park center
- 5.7 mi
- Second station
- Lodgepole, CA 6,735 ft
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Aprbest | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 58° | 61° | 69° | 76° | 85° | 96° | 102° | 101° | 93° | 81° | 67° | 57° | 79° |
| Low, °F | 30° | 33° | 39° | 44° | 53° | 62° | 67° | 65° | 58° | 48° | 36° | 29° | 47° |
| High at 6,735 ft, °F | 39° | 41° | 45° | 50° | 58° | 68° | 76° | 76° | 70° | 59° | 47° | 37° | 56° |
| Precipitation, in | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 5.4 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:54 | 10:47 | 11:51 | 13:05 | 14:06 | 14:39 | 14:26 | 13:34 | 12:22 | 11:11 | 10:09 | 9:39 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 4 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 98 |
| Crowds | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Weather | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild | Hot | Very hot | Very hot | Very hot | Very hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild, wet |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | High at 6,735 ft | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 30° | 39° | 1.4 | – | 9:54 | 4,300 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| February | 61° | 33° | 41° | 0.9 | – | 10:47 | 4,700 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| March | 69° | 39° | 45° | 0.7 | – | 11:51 | 6,300 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Aprilbest | 76° | 44° | 50° | 0.2 | – | 13:05 | 9,900 | Very busy | Mild |
| May | 85° | 53° | 58° | 0.1 | – | 14:06 | 12,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| June | 96° | 62° | 68° | 0.1 | – | 14:39 | 12,000 | Very busy | Very hot |
| July | 102° | 67° | 76° | 0.1 | – | 14:26 | 12,000 | Very busy | Very hot |
| August | 101° | 65° | 76° | 0.1 | – | 13:34 | 10,000 | Very busy | Very hot |
| September | 93° | 58° | 70° | 0.1 | – | 12:22 | 8,700 | Busy | Very hot |
| October | 81° | 48° | 59° | 0.2 | – | 11:11 | 9,100 | Busy | Hot |
| November | 67° | 36° | 47° | 0.5 | – | 10:09 | 5,400 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| December | 57° | 29° | 37° | 0.9 | – | 9:39 | 4,400 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Year | 79° | 47° | 56° | 5.4 | – | 98,000 | |||
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 102°F
- Coldest nights December, average low 29°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 98,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State California
Elevation matters here: the record's second station, Lodgepole, CA, sits at 6,735 ft, against 3,950 ft for Independence, CA. Expect conditions between the two depending on where you go.
Closures, reservations and alerts: Manzanar National Historic Site on nps.gov
Nearby
- Kings Canyon National ParkBest: May, Sep and Oct · California
- Sequoia National ParkBest: May, Jun and Oct · California
- Death Valley National ParkBest: Nov · California and Nevada
- Devils Postpile National MonumentBest: Jun, Sep and Oct · California