Best time to visit Niobrara National Scenic River
October is the best balance at Niobrara National Scenic River: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 65°F), with quiet crowds. July is busiest, with about 23,000 visitors. March is the quietest, with highs near 52°F. January, February, November and December 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
- Valentine Miller Fld, NE USW00024032
- Lat / lon
- 42.88, -100.55
- Elevation
- 2,590 ft
- From park center
- 21.3 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 38° | 41° | 52° | 61° | 72° | 83° | 90° | 88° | 80° | 65° | 51° | 39° | 63° |
| Low, °F | 11° | 14° | 24° | 33° | 44° | 55° | 61° | 59° | 49° | 34° | 22° | 13° | 35° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 20.9 |
| Snow, in | 4.4 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 34.2 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:21 | 10:28 | 11:47 | 13:19 | 14:37 | 15:19 | 15:02 | 13:55 | 12:26 | 10:58 | 9:41 | 9:02 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 23 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 76 |
| Crowds | Few or no visits | Few or no visits | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Quiet | Few or no visits | Few or no visits | |
| Weather | Cold | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Very hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 11° | 0.3 | 4.4 | 9:21 | 684 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| February | 41° | 14° | 0.6 | 6.5 | 10:28 | 414 | Few or no visits | Cool |
| March | 52° | 24° | 1.0 | 6.0 | 11:47 | 1,200 | Quiet | Cool |
| April | 61° | 33° | 2.5 | 5.6 | 13:19 | 1,400 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| May | 72° | 44° | 3.5 | 0.1 | 14:37 | 5,100 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| June | 83° | 55° | 4.0 | 0 | 15:19 | 12,000 | Moderate | Hot |
| July | 90° | 61° | 2.8 | 0 | 15:02 | 23,000 | Very busy | Very hot |
| August | 88° | 59° | 2.0 | 0 | 13:55 | 21,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| September | 80° | 49° | 1.7 | 0 | 12:26 | 7,300 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 65° | 34° | 1.4 | 2.0 | 10:58 | 1,500 | Quiet | Mild |
| November | 51° | 22° | 0.6 | 4.6 | 9:41 | 540 | Few or no visits | Cool |
| December | 39° | 13° | 0.4 | 5.0 | 9:02 | 357 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| Year | 63° | 35° | 20.9 | 34.2 | 76,000 | |||
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 90°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 11°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 76,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Nebraska
Closures, reservations and alerts: Niobrara National Scenic River on nps.gov
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