Best time to visit Yellowstone National Park
July, August and September are the best balance at Yellowstone: mild and dry for the park (average highs 61° to 72°F), with very busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 979,000 visitors. April is the quietest, with highs near 41°F. November sees 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
- Yellowstone Lake, WY USW00094173
- Lat / lon
- 44.54, -110.42
- Elevation
- 7,835 ft
- From park center
- 4.3 mi
- Second station
- Gardiner, MT 5,275 ft
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Julbest | Augbest | Sepbest | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 23° | 26° | 35° | 41° | 51° | 61° | 72° | 71° | 61° | 46° | 32° | 23° | 45° |
| Low, °F | 1° | 1° | 8° | 17° | 26° | 33° | 39° | 37° | 30° | 22° | 11° | 3° | 19° |
| High at 5,275 ft, °F | 35° | 38° | 49° | 57° | 67° | 77° | 87° | 86° | 76° | 60° | 44° | 34° | 59° |
| Precipitation, in | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 23.1 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:10 | 10:22 | 11:46 | 13:24 | 14:47 | 15:32 | 15:14 | 14:03 | 12:28 | 10:54 | 9:31 | 8:50 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 43 | 46 | 32 | 73 | 514 | 897 | 979 | 866 | 843 | 320 | 23 | 33 | 4,670 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Few or no visits | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cold | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild | Mild | Cool | Cold | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | High at 5,275 ft | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 1° | 35° | 1.8 | – | 9:10 | 43,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| February | 26° | 1° | 38° | 1.7 | – | 10:22 | 46,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 35° | 8° | 49° | 1.9 | – | 11:46 | 32,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| April | 41° | 17° | 57° | 2.3 | – | 13:24 | 73,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| May | 51° | 26° | 67° | 2.4 | – | 14:47 | 514,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| June | 61° | 33° | 77° | 2.4 | – | 15:32 | 897,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| Julybest | 72° | 39° | 87° | 1.5 | – | 15:14 | 979,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Augustbest | 71° | 37° | 86° | 1.3 | – | 14:03 | 866,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Septemberbest | 61° | 30° | 76° | 1.6 | – | 12:28 | 843,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| October | 46° | 22° | 60° | 1.9 | – | 10:54 | 320,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| November | 32° | 11° | 44° | 2.1 | – | 9:31 | 23,000 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| December | 23° | 3° | 34° | 2.4 | – | 8:50 | 33,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 45° | 19° | 59° | 23.1 | – | 4,670,000 | |||
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 72°F
- Coldest nights February, average low 1°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 4,670,000 (2023–2025 average)
- States Montana and Wyoming
Elevation matters here: the record's second station, Gardiner, MT, sits at 5,275 ft, against 7,835 ft for Yellowstone Lake, WY. Expect conditions between the two depending on where you go.
Closures, reservations and alerts: Yellowstone National Park on nps.gov
Nearby
- John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial ParkwayBest: May, Jun and Sep · Wyoming
- Grand Teton National ParkBest: Jun, Aug and Sep · Wyoming
- Bighorn Canyon National Recreation AreaBest: Apr, May and Oct · Montana and Wyoming
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National MonumentBest: Apr, Sep and Oct · Montana