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When Mammoth Cave is busiest and quietest

Mammoth Cave draws about 617,000 recreation visits in a typical year. July is the peak, with 17.1% of the year's visits. November is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 4.3%.

JulyBusiest month
NovemberQuietest open month
4xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
104,390Visits in a typical July

Share of the year's visits, by month

Mammoth Cave: share of yearly visits by month1.9%Jan2.5%Feb8.9%Mar9.8%Apr9.5%May13.5%Jun17.1%Jul12.6%Aug8.2%Sep8.3%Oct4.3%Nov3.4%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 12,236 1.9%
February 15,595 2.5%
March 55,332 8.9%
April 60,288 9.8%
May 58,821 9.5%
June 83,235 13.5%
July 104,390 17.1%
August 76,701 12.6%
September 50,603 8.2%
October 51,343 8.3%
November 26,630 4.3%
December 21,653 3.4%

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.