Best time to visit Capitol Reef National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Capitol Reef National Park: April–May and September–October. Daily highs run about 60–80°F, with about 80% of May's visitors.
Hardest months: November–February, mostly because of cold weather.
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
Capitol Reef National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 4 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 | Poor | 35° / 18°F | 0.2 in | 4.9 in | Quiet | – |
| February | Poor | 41° / 22°F | 0.2 in | 3.7 in | Quiet | – |
| March | Fair | 52° / 30°F | 0.4 in | 3.2 in | Moderate | – |
| April | Best | 62° / 38°F | 0.3 in | 0.6 in | Busy | – |
| May | Best | 71° / 47°F | 0.5 in | – | Peak | – |
| June | Good | 85° / 58°F | 0.3 in | – | Busy | – |
| July | Fair | 90° / 65°F | 0.3 in | – | Moderate | – |
| August | Good | 86° / 63°F | 0.5 in | – | Moderate | – |
| September | Best | 79° / 55°F | 0.5 in | – | Busy | – |
| October | Best | 63° / 41°F | 0.7 in | 0.6 in | Busy | – |
| November | Poor | 49° / 30°F | 0.3 in | 1.9 in | Quiet | – |
| December | Poor | 36° / 21°F | 0.2 in | 3.8 in | Quiet | – |
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 | 37°F | 19°F | 0.2 in | 3.9 in |
| February | 44°F | 23°F | 0.2 in | 2.8 in |
| March | 54°F | 32°F | 0.4 in | 2.3 in |
| April | 64°F | 39°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 73°F | 48°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 87°F | 60°F | 0.3 in | – |
| July | 92°F | 67°F | 0.2 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 64°F | 0.3 in | – |
| September | 81°F | 56°F | 0.5 in | – |
| October | 64°F | 42°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 50°F | 31°F | 0.3 in | 1.4 in |
| December | 38°F | 22°F | 0.2 in | 3.0 in |
Fruita Historic District
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 19°F | 0.2 in | 3.9 in |
| February | 44°F | 23°F | 0.2 in | 2.8 in |
| March | 54°F | 31°F | 0.4 in | 2.3 in |
| April | 64°F | 39°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 73°F | 48°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 87°F | 60°F | 0.3 in | – |
| July | 92°F | 67°F | 0.2 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 64°F | 0.3 in | – |
| September | 81°F | 56°F | 0.5 in | – |
| October | 64°F | 42°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 50°F | 31°F | 0.3 in | 1.4 in |
| December | 38°F | 22°F | 0.2 in | 3.0 in |
Cathedral Valley
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 14°F | 0.2 in | 4.6 in |
| February | 39°F | 18°F | 0.1 in | 3.5 in |
| March | 49°F | 27°F | 0.3 in | 3.8 in |
| April | 59°F | 34°F | 0.3 in | 1.1 in |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 0.7 in | 0.7 in |
| June | 82°F | 55°F | 0.3 in | – |
| July | 87°F | 62°F | 0.5 in | – |
| August | 84°F | 59°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 76°F | 52°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 60°F | 38°F | 0.6 in | 0.7 in |
| November | 46°F | 28°F | 0.2 in | 2.4 in |
| December | 34°F | 17°F | 0.1 in | 4.3 in |
Waterpocket Fold
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 20°F | 0.1 in | 7.3 in |
| February | 39°F | 22°F | 0.2 in | 5.7 in |
| March | 50°F | 30°F | 0.4 in | 4.4 in |
| April | 61°F | 38°F | 0.4 in | 0.8 in |
| May | 70°F | 47°F | 0.6 in | 0.6 in |
| June | 84°F | 59°F | 0.4 in | – |
| July | 88°F | 66°F | 0.4 in | – |
| August | 85°F | 63°F | 0.8 in | – |
| September | 78°F | 55°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 62°F | 42°F | 0.8 in | 1.0 in |
| November | 49°F | 31°F | 0.3 in | 2.4 in |
| December | 36°F | 22°F | 0.2 in | 4.9 in |
Capitol Reef National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a good time to visit Capitol Reef National Park. Daily highs average 52–71°F and lows 30–47°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and 1.4 in of snow, with up to 1 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 44–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a good time to visit Capitol Reef National Park. Daily highs average 85–90°F and lows 58–65°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 51–84% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Capitol Reef National Park. Daily highs average 49–79°F and lows 30–55°F. Expect about 0.5 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 30–80% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Capitol Reef National Park. Daily highs average 35–41°F and lows 18–22°F. Expect about 0.2 in of rain a month and 4.1 in of snow, with up to 4 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 9–15% of the busiest month, which is quiet 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
Weather is posted daily; check at the park visitor center for weather updates. Do not enter into narrow canyons if there is a threat of rain or if rain has been falling in the area. Rain and snow may also make dirt roads impassable to vehicles.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 4 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.
