Best time to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park: April–May and August–October. Daily highs run about 70–80°F, with about half of March's visitors.
Hardest months: December–January, 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
Guadalupe Mountains National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 7 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 | 48° / 30°F | 0.3 in | 1.4 in | Moderate | – |
| February | Fair | 54° / 33°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in | Moderate | – |
| March | Fair | 62° / 40°F | 0.6 in | 0.5 in | Peak | – |
| April | Best | 69° / 46°F | 0.4 in | – | Busy | – |
| May | Best | 77° / 55°F | 0.6 in | – | Moderate | – |
| June | Good | 86° / 64°F | 0.7 in | – | Moderate | – |
| July | Good | 85° / 66°F | 1.1 in | – | Moderate | – |
| August | Best | 82° / 65°F | 2.0 in | – | Quiet | – |
| September | Best | 77° / 59°F | 2.0 in | – | Quiet | – |
| October | Best | 68° / 49°F | 1.1 in | – | Busy | – |
| November | Fair | 57° / 39°F | 0.6 in | 0.5 in | Moderate | – |
| December | Poor | 51° / 33°F | 0.4 in | 1.3 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 | 44°F | 27°F | 0.4 in | 1.6 in |
| February | 49°F | 30°F | 0.3 in | 1.4 in |
| March | 56°F | 36°F | 0.6 in | 0.9 in |
| April | 64°F | 43°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 72°F | 51°F | 0.6 in | – |
| June | 81°F | 60°F | 0.8 in | – |
| July | 80°F | 62°F | 1.3 in | – |
| August | 77°F | 61°F | 2.0 in | – |
| September | 72°F | 56°F | 1.9 in | – |
| October | 63°F | 46°F | 1.1 in | – |
| November | 53°F | 36°F | 0.6 in | 0.5 in |
| December | 46°F | 30°F | 0.5 in | 1.5 in |
Pine Springs
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 31°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| February | 55°F | 34°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| March | 62°F | 41°F | 0.6 in | 0.5 in |
| April | 69°F | 48°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 78°F | 56°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 86°F | 65°F | 0.7 in | – |
| July | 86°F | 68°F | 1.2 in | – |
| August | 83°F | 66°F | 2.0 in | – |
| September | 78°F | 61°F | 1.9 in | – |
| October | 69°F | 51°F | 1.0 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 41°F | 0.5 in | – |
| December | 51°F | 35°F | 0.4 in | 1.3 in |
Frijole Ranch
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 32°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| February | 56°F | 35°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| March | 63°F | 42°F | 0.6 in | 0.5 in |
| April | 71°F | 48°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 79°F | 57°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 87°F | 66°F | 0.7 in | – |
| July | 87°F | 68°F | 1.2 in | – |
| August | 84°F | 67°F | 2.0 in | – |
| September | 79°F | 62°F | 1.9 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 52°F | 1.0 in | – |
| November | 59°F | 41°F | 0.5 in | – |
| December | 52°F | 35°F | 0.4 in | 1.3 in |
McKittrick Canyon
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54°F | 33°F | 0.4 in | 1.1 in |
| February | 59°F | 36°F | 0.2 in | 1.4 in |
| March | 67°F | 43°F | 0.6 in | – |
| April | 74°F | 49°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 82°F | 58°F | 0.8 in | – |
| June | 91°F | 67°F | 0.8 in | – |
| July | 91°F | 70°F | 0.9 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 68°F | 2.2 in | – |
| September | 82°F | 62°F | 2.5 in | – |
| October | 73°F | 52°F | 1.1 in | – |
| November | 62°F | 42°F | 0.6 in | 0.7 in |
| December | 56°F | 36°F | 0.4 in | 1.3 in |
Salt Basin Dunes
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F | 34°F | 0.4 in | 0.6 in |
| February | 63°F | 38°F | 0.3 in | 0.8 in |
| March | 71°F | 45°F | 0.5 in | – |
| April | 79°F | 53°F | 0.2 in | – |
| May | 87°F | 61°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 95°F | 71°F | 0.4 in | – |
| July | 95°F | 74°F | 0.4 in | – |
| August | 92°F | 72°F | 1.1 in | – |
| September | 87°F | 66°F | 1.3 in | – |
| October | 77°F | 55°F | 0.9 in | 0.5 in |
| November | 65°F | 43°F | 0.5 in | – |
| December | 58°F | 37°F | 0.5 in | 0.5 in |
Dog Canyon
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 31°F | 0.2 in | 2.3 in |
| February | 53°F | 33°F | 0.3 in | 1.8 in |
| March | 59°F | 39°F | 0.6 in | 1.2 in |
| April | 67°F | 45°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 75°F | 54°F | 0.8 in | – |
| June | 83°F | 62°F | 1.1 in | – |
| July | 83°F | 64°F | 1.4 in | – |
| August | 80°F | 63°F | 2.6 in | – |
| September | 75°F | 58°F | 2.5 in | – |
| October | 66°F | 49°F | 1.3 in | – |
| November | 56°F | 39°F | 0.6 in | 0.9 in |
| December | 50°F | 34°F | 0.4 in | 1.6 in |
Guadalupe Peak
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 22°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| February | 45°F | 25°F | 0.3 in | 1.3 in |
| March | 52°F | 32°F | 0.7 in | 0.5 in |
| April | 60°F | 38°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 68°F | 46°F | 0.6 in | – |
| June | 76°F | 55°F | 0.7 in | – |
| July | 76°F | 58°F | 1.2 in | – |
| August | 73°F | 56°F | 2.1 in | – |
| September | 68°F | 51°F | 2.0 in | – |
| October | 59°F | 41°F | 1.0 in | – |
| November | 48°F | 31°F | 0.6 in | 0.5 in |
| December | 41°F | 25°F | 0.4 in | 1.4 in |
Guadalupe Mountains National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a good time to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 62–77°F and lows 40–55°F. Expect about 0.5 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 55–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a good time to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 82–86°F and lows 64–66°F. Expect about 1.3 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 28–38% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 57–77°F and lows 39–59°F. Expect about 1.2 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 33–65% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 48–54°F and lows 30–33°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and 1.3 in of snow, with up to 0 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 35–63% 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
The Guadalupe Mountains are known for high winds year-round; gusts can reach 60MPH or higher. In winter the mountains experiences occasional, light snowfalls which seldom last more than a day. From May through October, temperatures vary with highs between 80F-100F+ with lows in the 40F-60F range. November to April is generally milder with highs in between 50F-70F with lows in the 30F-50F range. Elevations above 8,000’ will be about 10F cooler than headquarters, with corresponding wind-chill.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 7 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.
