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When Arches is busiest and quietest

Arches draws about 1.5 million recreation visits in a typical year. May is the peak, with 12.7% of the year's visits. November is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 4.9%.

MayBusiest month
NovemberQuietest open month
2.6xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
194,688Visits in a typical May

Share of the year's visits, by month

Arches: share of yearly visits by month1.8%Jan2.7%Feb8.6%Mar10.2%Apr12.7%May12.6%Jun12.0%Jul10.8%Aug11.6%Sep9.3%Oct4.9%Nov2.7%Dec

BusiestQuietest open monthOther months

Low months are not always the best months. January, February and December each draw under 4% of the year's visits. That usually reflects snow, closed roads or reduced services, so check the park's own conditions page before planning around them. The quietest month overall is January.

Typical visits per month

MonthTypical visitsShare of year
January 27,542 1.8%
February 41,350 2.7%
March 132,057 8.6%
April 155,587 10.2%
May 194,688 12.7%
June 193,595 12.6%
July 183,579 12.0%
August 165,431 10.8%
September 177,604 11.6%
October 142,158 9.3%
November 74,314 4.9%
December 41,898 2.7%

How this was worked out

We averaged 9 years of National Park Service recreation visitor counts (2015 to 2025, leaving out 2020 and 2021). Each month is shown as its share of that year's total, then averaged. The counts are monthly, so this cannot tell you about holiday weekends or a specific week. It is history, not a forecast. Full details are on the methodology page.