Best time to visit Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
October is the best balance at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 58°F), with busy crowds. August is busiest, with about 28,000 visitors. October is the quietest.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- St Paul Downtown AP, MN USW00014927
- Lat / lon
- 44.93, -93.06
- Elevation
- 700 ft
- From park center
- 3.7 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 24° | 29° | 42° | 57° | 69° | 79° | 83° | 80° | 72° | 58° | 42° | 29° | 55° |
| Low, °F | 9° | 13° | 25° | 37° | 49° | 59° | 64° | 62° | 53° | 40° | 27° | 15° | 38° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 29.2 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:08 | 10:20 | 11:46 | 13:25 | 14:49 | 15:35 | 15:17 | 14:04 | 12:28 | 10:53 | 9:29 | 8:48 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 18 | 18 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 259 |
| Crowds | Busy | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 9° | 0.5 | – | 9:08 | 18,000 | Busy | Cold |
| February | 29° | 13° | 0.5 | – | 10:20 | 18,000 | Busy | Cold |
| March | 42° | 25° | 1.4 | – | 11:46 | 27,000 | Very busy | Cool |
| April | 57° | 37° | 2.6 | – | 13:25 | 24,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| May | 69° | 49° | 4.0 | – | 14:49 | 22,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| June | 79° | 59° | 4.6 | – | 15:35 | 28,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 83° | 64° | 4.0 | – | 15:17 | 28,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 80° | 62° | 4.1 | – | 14:04 | 28,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| September | 72° | 53° | 3.1 | – | 12:28 | 17,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 58° | 40° | 2.5 | – | 10:53 | 16,000 | Busy | Mild |
| November | 42° | 27° | 1.3 | – | 9:29 | 18,000 | Busy | Cool |
| December | 29° | 15° | 0.7 | – | 8:48 | 16,000 | Busy | Cold |
| Year | 55° | 38° | 29.2 | – | 259,000 | |||
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 83°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 9°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 259,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Minnesota
Closures, reservations and alerts: Mississippi National River and Recreation Area on nps.gov
Nearby
- Saint Croix National Scenic RiverwayBest: May, Sep and Oct · Minnesota and Wisconsin
- Effigy Mounds National MonumentBest: Oct · Iowa
- Pipestone National MonumentBest: Oct · Minnesota
- Apostle Islands National LakeshoreBest: May, Jun and Sep · Wisconsin