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When Black Canyon of the Gunnison is busiest and quietest

Black Canyon of the Gunnison draws about 304,000 recreation visits in a typical year. July is the peak, with 15.5% of the year's visits. April is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 4.2%.

JulyBusiest month
AprilQuietest open month
3.7xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
45,980Visits in a typical July

Share of the year's visits, by month

Black Canyon of the Gunnison: share of yearly visits by month2.5%Jan1.9%Feb2.7%Mar4.2%Apr12.4%May15.4%Jun15.5%Jul14.2%Aug14.8%Sep9.7%Oct4.8%Nov2.0%Dec

BusiestQuietest open monthOther months

Low months are not always the best months. January, February, March 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 February.

Typical visits per month

MonthTypical visitsShare of year
January 7,530 2.5%
February 5,648 1.9%
March 8,163 2.7%
April 12,728 4.2%
May 38,045 12.4%
June 46,713 15.4%
July 45,980 15.5%
August 44,436 14.2%
September 44,510 14.8%
October 29,385 9.7%
November 15,020 4.8%
December 5,885 2.0%

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.