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When Pinnacles is busiest and quietest

Pinnacles draws about 263,000 recreation visits in a typical year. April is the peak, with 12.0% of the year's visits. September is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 6.0%.

AprilBusiest month
SeptemberQuietest open month
2xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
31,711Visits in a typical April

Share of the year's visits, by month

Pinnacles: share of yearly visits by month6.3%Jan7.7%Feb11.7%Mar12.0%Apr11.0%May9.2%Jun8.1%Jul7.2%Aug6.0%Sep6.3%Oct7.3%Nov7.2%Dec

BusiestQuietest open monthOther months

No month falls under 4% of the yearly total, so crowds here are spread fairly evenly. The quietest month overall is September. Quiet does not mean pleasant: check weather and heat for that month before you book.

Typical visits per month

MonthTypical visitsShare of year
January 16,852 6.3%
February 20,115 7.7%
March 30,498 11.7%
April 31,711 12.0%
May 28,962 11.0%
June 23,956 9.2%
July 21,616 8.1%
August 18,666 7.2%
September 15,744 6.0%
October 16,617 6.3%
November 19,240 7.3%
December 19,171 7.2%

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.