Best time to visit Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
April, May and October have the mildest temperatures at Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, though they are among the wetter months. July is busiest, with about 26,000 visitors. November is the quietest, with highs near 50°F. January and February see 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
- Interior 3 NE, SD USC00394184
- Lat / lon
- 43.75, -101.94
- Elevation
- 2,440 ft
- From park center
- 7 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Aprbest | Maybest | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 37° | 41° | 53° | 62° | 72° | 83° | 91° | 91° | 82° | 65° | 50° | 39° | 64° |
| Low, °F | 14° | 16° | 26° | 35° | 46° | 56° | 62° | 60° | 51° | 38° | 25° | 17° | 37° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 19.6 |
| Snow, in | 5.5 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 7.7 | 38.0 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:15 | 10:24 | 11:47 | 13:22 | 14:42 | 15:27 | 15:09 | 13:59 | 12:27 | 10:55 | 9:35 | 8:55 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 22 | 26 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 112 |
| Crowds | Few or no visits | Few or no visits | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Very hot | Very hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.5 | 5.5 | 9:15 | 546 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.6 | 6.4 | 10:24 | 552 | Few or no visits | Cool |
| March | 53° | 26° | 1.2 | 5.9 | 11:47 | 2,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Aprilbest | 62° | 35° | 2.3 | 6.4 | 13:22 | 3,800 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| Maybest | 72° | 46° | 3.6 | 0.5 | 14:42 | 13,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| June | 83° | 56° | 3.5 | 0 | 15:27 | 22,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| July | 91° | 62° | 2.2 | 0 | 15:09 | 26,000 | Very busy | Very hot |
| August | 91° | 60° | 1.8 | 0 | 13:59 | 19,000 | Busy | Very hot |
| September | 82° | 51° | 1.4 | 0 | 12:27 | 18,000 | Busy | Hot |
| Octoberbest | 65° | 38° | 1.6 | 1.9 | 10:55 | 5,200 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| November | 50° | 25° | 0.5 | 3.7 | 9:35 | 1,600 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 39° | 17° | 0.5 | 7.7 | 8:55 | 1,200 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 64° | 37° | 19.6 | 38.0 | 112,000 | |||
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 14°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 112,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State South Dakota
Closures, reservations and alerts: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site on nps.gov
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