National parks to visit in September
20 of 60 national parks average mild weather in September; the least crowded of them are Mount Rainier and Crater Lake.
How to read this Weather words come from each park's 1991–2020 average high: mild is 55–80°F without above-normal rain. Crowds compare September with the park's own busiest month (National Park Service visits, 2023–2025).
Mild weather in September 20 parks
| Park | State | High / low °F | Precip., in | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier | Washington | 57° / 41° | 4.4 | Moderate |
| Crater Lake | Oregon | 63° / 37° | 1.9 | Moderate |
| Badlands | South Dakota | 79° / 47° | 1.2 | Busy |
| North Cascades | Washington | 71° / 50° | 3.5 | Busy |
| Lassen Volcanic | California | 72° / 41° | 0.7 | Busy |
| New River Gorge | West Virginia | 75° / 54° | 3.7 | Busy |
| Wind Cave | South Dakota | 76° / 46° | 1.5 | Busy |
| Great Smoky Mountains | Tennessee and North Carolina | 78° / 56° | 4.3 | Busy |
| Redwood | California | 67° / 50° | 1.3 | Busy |
| Channel Islands | California | 78° / 60° | 0.1 | Busy |
| Hawai'i Volcanoes | Hawaii | 73° / 55° | 6.0 | Busy |
| Sequoia | California | 70° / 39° | 0.7 | Busy |
| Kings Canyon | California | 70° / 39° | 0.7 | Busy |
| Glacier | Montana | 68° / 41° | 2.0 | Busy |
| Haleakala | Hawaii | 65° / 48° | 2.5 | Busy |
| Grand Teton | Wyoming | 66° / 34° | 1.6 | Busy |
| Acadia | Maine | 71° / 53° | 4.2 | Very busy |
| Olympic | Washington | 68° / 48° | 1.6 | Very busy |
| Yellowstone | Montana and Wyoming | 61° / 30° | 1.6 | Very busy |
| Great Basin | Nevada | 73° / 48° | 1.1 | Very busy |
Mild, wetter than usual in September 16 parks
| Park | State | High / low °F | Precip., in | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrangell-St. Elias | Alaska | 55° / 33° | 2.1 | Quiet |
| Lake Clark | Alaska | 58° / 44° | 7.3 | Quiet |
| Kenai Fjords | Alaska | 56° / 43° | 9.9 | Quiet |
| Isle Royale | Michigan | 65° / 44° | 3.1 | Moderate |
| Shenandoah | Virginia | 78° / 54° | 5.4 | Moderate |
| Voyageurs | Minnesota | 66° / 42° | 4.1 | Moderate |
| Indiana Dunes | Indiana | 74° / 56° | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Great Sand Dunes | Colorado | 72° / 44° | 1.3 | Moderate |
| Mesa Verde | Colorado | 76° / 50° | 1.8 | Busy |
| Cuyahoga Valley | Ohio | 74° / 52° | 3.8 | Busy |
| Theodore Roosevelt | North Dakota | 74° / 43° | 1.4 | Busy |
| Rocky Mountain | Colorado | 68° / 32° | 1.6 | Busy |
| Grand Canyon | Arizona | 76° / 44° | 1.5 | Very busy |
| Capitol Reef | Utah | 80° / 55° | 0.9 | Very busy |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison | Colorado | 72° / 44° | 2.1 | Very busy |
| Bryce Canyon | Utah | 70° / 42° | 1.8 | Very busy |
Hot in September 15 parks
| Park | State | High / low °F | Precip., in | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bend | Texas | 86° / 63° | 1.7 | Quiet |
| Virgin Islands | US Virgin Islands | 89° / 80° | 5.9 | Quiet |
| Guadalupe Mountains | Texas | 81° / 61° | 2.1 | Moderate |
| Gateway Arch | Missouri | 81° / 57° | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Hot Springs | Arkansas | 86° / 64° | 4.2 | Moderate |
| Everglades | Florida | 89° / 75° | 7.2 | Moderate |
| White Sands | New Mexico | 89° / 56° | 1.5 | Moderate |
| Carlsbad Caverns | New Mexico | 83° / 60° | 2.9 | Busy |
| Congaree | South Carolina | 86° / 64° | 3.4 | Busy |
| Mammoth Cave | Kentucky | 85° / 60° | 4.0 | Busy |
| Dry Tortugas | Florida | 89° / 78° | 7.2 | Busy |
| Petrified Forest | Arizona | 82° / 51° | 1.1 | Busy |
| Arches | Utah | 87° / 58° | 0.9 | Very busy |
| Canyonlands | Utah | 84° / 51° | 0.8 | Very busy |
| Yosemite | California | 83° / 51° | 0.4 | Very busy |
Very hot in September 6 parks
| Park | State | High / low °F | Precip., in | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saguaro | Arizona | 92° / 58° | 1.5 | Quiet |
| Joshua Tree | California | 97° / 69° | 0.3 | Moderate |
| Death Valley | California and Nevada | 108° / 79° | 0.2 | Moderate |
| Pinnacles | California | 92° / 48° | 0.1 | Moderate |
| Biscayne | Florida | 90° / 79° | 7.5 | Busy |
| Zion | Utah | 91° / 61° | 1.2 | Very busy |
Cool in September 3 parks
| Park | State | High / low °F | Precip., in | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denali | Alaska | 50° / 33° | 2.2 | Moderate |
| Katmai | Alaska | 54° / 39° | 5.1 | Moderate |
| Glacier Bay | Alaska | 54° / 43° | 9.2 | Busy |