Best time to visit Big Bend National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Big Bend National Park: October–February. Daily highs run about 60–80°F, with about 55% of March's visitors.
Hardest months: June–August, mostly because of heat.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Big Bend National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 6 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Best | 62° / 40°F | 0.4 in | – | Moderate | – |
| February | Best | 68° / 44°F | 0.4 in | – | Moderate | – |
| March | Good | 76° / 51°F | 0.4 in | – | Peak | – |
| April | Good | 84° / 58°F | 0.3 in | – | Busy | – |
| May | Fair | 90° / 66°F | 0.7 in | – | Moderate | – |
| June | Poor | 96° / 73°F | 0.7 in | – | Quiet | – |
| July | Poor | 95° / 75°F | 0.6 in | – | Quiet | – |
| August | Poor | 93° / 74°F | 1.5 in | – | Quiet | – |
| September | Fair | 88° / 69°F | 1.4 in | – | Quiet | – |
| October | Best | 81° / 60°F | 0.9 in | – | Moderate | – |
| November | Best | 70° / 49°F | 0.7 in | – | Busy | – |
| December | Best | 64° / 43°F | 0.6 in | 1.2 in | Busy | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58°F | 39°F | 0.4 in | – |
| February | 65°F | 42°F | 0.5 in | – |
| March | 72°F | 49°F | 0.5 in | 0.7 in |
| April | 79°F | 56°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 86°F | 63°F | 1.1 in | – |
| June | 91°F | 69°F | 1.1 in | – |
| July | 90°F | 71°F | 1.0 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 70°F | 2.3 in | – |
| September | 83°F | 65°F | 2.1 in | – |
| October | 77°F | 58°F | 1.1 in | – |
| November | 66°F | 47°F | 0.8 in | 1.0 in |
| December | 61°F | 42°F | 0.6 in | 1.8 in |
Persimmon Gap
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62°F | 37°F | 0.3 in | – |
| February | 68°F | 41°F | 0.3 in | 0.5 in |
| March | 77°F | 49°F | 0.4 in | – |
| April | 84°F | 57°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 91°F | 65°F | 0.6 in | – |
| June | 97°F | 72°F | 0.6 in | – |
| July | 97°F | 74°F | 0.3 in | – |
| August | 94°F | 74°F | 1.1 in | – |
| September | 89°F | 68°F | 1.2 in | – |
| October | 82°F | 59°F | 0.9 in | – |
| November | 70°F | 47°F | 0.7 in | – |
| December | 65°F | 41°F | 0.6 in | 1.0 in |
Chisos Mountains
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55°F | 36°F | 0.4 in | – |
| February | 62°F | 39°F | 0.5 in | – |
| March | 69°F | 46°F | 0.5 in | 0.7 in |
| April | 76°F | 53°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 83°F | 60°F | 1.1 in | – |
| June | 88°F | 66°F | 1.1 in | – |
| July | 88°F | 68°F | 1.0 in | – |
| August | 85°F | 67°F | 2.3 in | – |
| September | 80°F | 63°F | 2.1 in | – |
| October | 74°F | 55°F | 1.1 in | – |
| November | 63°F | 44°F | 0.8 in | 1.0 in |
| December | 58°F | 39°F | 0.6 in | 1.8 in |
Castolon
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67°F | 42°F | 0.3 in | – |
| February | 74°F | 47°F | 0.3 in | – |
| March | 82°F | 56°F | 0.4 in | – |
| April | 90°F | 63°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 96°F | 71°F | 0.6 in | – |
| June | 101°F | 78°F | 0.5 in | – |
| July | 101°F | 80°F | 0.3 in | – |
| August | 99°F | 79°F | 1.0 in | – |
| September | 93°F | 73°F | 0.9 in | – |
| October | 87°F | 64°F | 0.5 in | – |
| November | 76°F | 52°F | 0.6 in | – |
| December | 69°F | 45°F | 0.6 in | 0.9 in |
Rio Grande Village
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67°F | 45°F | 0.3 in |
| February | 74°F | 49°F | 0.3 in |
| March | 83°F | 57°F | 0.4 in |
| April | 90°F | 65°F | 0.2 in |
| May | 97°F | 72°F | 0.4 in |
| June | 102°F | 79°F | 0.3 in |
| July | 102°F | 81°F | 0.2 in |
| August | 100°F | 80°F | 0.7 in |
| September | 94°F | 75°F | 0.7 in |
| October | 87°F | 66°F | 0.6 in |
| November | 76°F | 54°F | 0.5 in |
| December | 70°F | 48°F | 0.5 in |
Panther Junction
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61°F | 40°F | 0.3 in | – |
| February | 67°F | 43°F | 0.3 in | – |
| March | 75°F | 51°F | 0.5 in | – |
| April | 82°F | 58°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 89°F | 65°F | 0.7 in | – |
| June | 94°F | 72°F | 0.7 in | – |
| July | 94°F | 74°F | 0.4 in | – |
| August | 92°F | 73°F | 1.5 in | – |
| September | 86°F | 68°F | 1.5 in | – |
| October | 80°F | 60°F | 0.9 in | – |
| November | 69°F | 49°F | 0.7 in | – |
| December | 64°F | 43°F | 0.6 in | 1.5 in |
Big Bend National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a good time to visit Big Bend National Park. Daily highs average 76–90°F and lows 51–66°F. Expect about 0.5 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 48–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a difficult time to visit Big Bend National Park. Daily highs average 93–96°F and lows 73–75°F. Expect about 0.9 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 18–27% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Big Bend National Park. Daily highs average 70–88°F and lows 49–69°F. Expect about 1.0 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 28–66% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is among the best times to visit Big Bend National Park. Daily highs average 62–68°F and lows 40–44°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 51–64% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails, camping and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Big Bend is in the Chihuahuan Desert. Sunshine is abundant year-round. Spring (March) is typically warm and pleasant and is the park's busiest season. Summer heat begins in May. It is extremely HOT. Temperatures vary greatly between the desert which is usually well above 100 degrees F by late morning, and the Chisos Mountains, which can be 10-15 degrees cooler. May - August are the hottest months. Fall and Winter (Nov-Feb) are mild and pleasant, but some freezing does occur. Snow is rare.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 6 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
