9 U.S National Parks to Visit in December (2024)
3 minute read | may contain affiliate links
About This Series
This post is part of a planned series of twelve articles about which National Parks are the best to visit in a particular month. Some parks will appear multiple times throughout the series while some may receive only one.
Throughout series, we’ll cover topics such as weather, crowd levels, and what makes each park special. It will be based on my own experiences in addition to extensive research.
Best National Parks in December
Many people are turned off by visiting national parks in the winter due to snowy conditions, but that could actually play in your favor as it usually means less crowds. Other benefits include:
Unique Wildlife Viewing: Due to there being less people in the parks, the local wildlife tend to be more active, making it easier to spot them.
Seasonal Events: Select national parks host special holiday events, like guided snowshoe tours or festive celebrations, adding a unique dimension to your visit.
Lower Costs: Travel and accommodation costs tend to be lower in the off-season, which can make a December visit more budget-friendly. In addition, some national parks lower their entry fees as well.
Less Regulation: Some parks have fewer regulations in the off-season, allowing for more freedom in camping and outdoor activities.
Starry Nights: Cold, crisp nights in December make for excellent stargazing opportunities. National parks with low light pollution offer clear views of the night sky and potential meteor showers.
Winter Wonderland: Many national parks transform into stunning winter wonderlands in December. Snow-covered landscapes provide picturesque scenes and opportunities for winter sports like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
1) Bryce Canyon National Park
State: Utah (southern).
Reason to Visit: Visiting Bryce Canyon in December offers far fewer crowds, a peaceful winter landscape and unique opportunities for winter sports like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The hoodoos and red rock formations blanketed in snow create stunning contrasting visuals.
Weather: In a word…it’s cold. Daytime highs top out in the high 30’s, with lows dipping close to the single digits. With the park’s high elevation, snow is practically guaranteed.
Sunrise & Sunset: 7:45am and 6:10pm, on average.
Crowd Levels: Like most parks on this list, you won’t be contending with crowds. The cold weather and presence of snow keeps most people away.
Top Recommendations: If you’re new to snowshoeing, you can sign up for a ranger-guided tour. For most lower elevation hiking trails, you could get away with just micro spikes.
Days Needed: In winter, I recommend just one.
2) Yosemite National Park
State: California
Reason to Visit: By December, popular areas of Yosemite such as Glacier Point and Tuolumne Meadows are closed due to heavy snow, but the valley is very much open (though chains are required to be carried at all times). Barring witness to the snow-capped granite peaks from Tunnel View alone is worth the trip.
Weather: With daytime highs in the 40’s and lows in the 20’s, in addition to it being a particularly snowy month, you should come prepared for cold weather.
Sunrise & Sunset: 7:00am and 4:45pm, average.
Crowd Levels: Crowd levels in December at Yosemite are exceptionally low, so you can expect to hike the parks many trails and play in the snow in relative peace.
Top Recommendations: Take advantage of the low visitation by hitting the trails. Hike the winter route of the Mist Trail, Lower Yosemite Falls and the Valley Floor Loop.
Days Needed: A two-night weekend would be perfect.
3) Dry Tortugas National Park
State: Florida
Reason to Visit: If your priority is to avoid heavy crowds, visiting Dry Tortugas in the winter is a great time, though winter brings storms and rough seas, making it difficult to reach the park. If you’re looking to kayak or snorkel, visiting in the winter could be problematic.
Weather: Heat-wise, December is a great month to visit as it’s significantly cooler and drier, with day-time temperatures often settling in around the mid 60’s.
Sunrise & Sunset: 7:05am and 5:45pm. You’ll have roughly 10.5 hours of daylight.
Crowd Levels: Simply put…low. Dry Tortugas is a collection of islands and thus, the majority of the activities are water based. Snorkeling, swimming and kayaking being the most popular. Since December sees rough seas, most people don’t visit during this month.
Top Recommendations: If the seas are calm during your visit, definitely kayak around the islands. Either way, be sure to explore Fort Jefferson (the corridors of which are strikingly similar to San Francisco’s Fort Point).
Days Needed: You can get away with a full day in the winter.
4) Grand Canyon National Park
State: Arizona
Reason to Visit: By December, the North Rim would have already closed, but the South Rim remains open. This enables you to enjoy the snow dusted views along the rim trail without fighting to elbow room. If you’re up to hiking into the canyon, snagging reservations at Phantom Ranch is much easier this time of year than any other.
Weather: Be sure to pack for cold weather. Daytime high and low temperatures are typically in the mid 40’s and upper teens, respectively.
Sunrise & Sunset: 7:30am and 5:15pm, average.
Crowd Levels: The summer tourists are gone, but it won’t exactly be ghost town, either.
Top Recommendations: Taking advantage of the low crowds by hiking the entirety of the rim trail and having it (mostly) to yourself would be my recommendation. Since heat isn’t a factor, you can hike down into the canyon but since the trail can be icy, definitely bring micro-spikes with you.
Days Needed: Unless you’re wanting to hike down into the canyon, one day would suffice.
5) Mammoth Cave National Park
State: Kentucky
Reason to Visit: Low crowds and relative solitude are the two main reasons to visit the cave in December. With the occasional snowstorm blanketing the hillside and icicles decorating the cave’s entrance, this extraordinary cave becomes an extraordinary cave in a winter wonderland in December.
Weather: On the outside, the park’s average daytime temperatures hover in the high 40’s with lows in the 30’s. Inside the cave, however, it’s 54-degrees throughout the year.
Sunrise & Sunset: 6:50am and 4:30pm, on average.
Crowd Levels: The period between November and February sees the least amount of visitors.
Top Recommendations: Despite December being a slow time at the park, most of the tours are still offered (with the exception of Christmas day). If you’re short on time, I recommend the Grand Historic Tour.
Days Needed: One day will work, but two would be better.
6) Canyonlands National Park
State: Utah
Reason to Visit: Canyonlands is Utah’s largest national park and thus, provides visitors with many recreational opportunities in December. The park doesn’t receive a whole lot of snow in December, so accessing the various hiking trails in rarely an issue (with the exception of the Maze district, that is).
Weather: Most days are sunny and cool, while others bring a little snowfall. Daytime highs usually settle in the mid 40’s and lows get well into the teens.
Sunrise & Sunset: 7:30am and 5:00pm, on average.
Crowd Levels: The park sees little visitation during the month of December.
Top Recommendations: There are various hiking trails in Island in the Sky and The Needles districts (which are most accessible during winter). The Maze isn’t as easily accessible, but it’s still doable if you come prepared.
Days Needed: I would set aside two days.
7) Death Valley National Park
State: California
Reason to Visit: Death Valley is downright miserable to visit in the summer. In fact, in 2023, the park hit its record high daytime temperature of 129 degrees! For that reason alone, winter is the preferable time to visit Death Valley. You may have to deal with a bit of rain, but that’s nothing compared to the scorching summer heat.
Weather: It’s still fairly warm, with daytime temperatures reaching 65 to 70 degrees, on average. The average low is in the high 30’s. As stated above, December does bring about some rainy days, but it’s minimal.
Sunrise & Sunset: 6:50am and 4:35pm, respectively.
Crowd Levels: Crowd levels remain low between Thanksgiving and Christmas. On those holidays, however, the park sees an uptick in visitation.
Top Recommendations: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Dante’s View, Devil’s Golf Course, Badwater Basin and Artists Pallette are just a few of the highlights you have to see. Especially if it’s your first visit.
Days Needed: You can see a lot of the highlights in one day, but I would recommend at least two.
8) Hawaii Volcanos National Park
State: Hawaii
Reason to Visit: Who needs an actual reason to travel to Hawaii? The seas may be rough in December, but the weather and low visitation (except for the week around Christmas) are great reason to visit Hawaii Volcanos National Park on the big island.
Weather: With daytime temperatures in the low 70’s with mild, gentle breezes, December is a hard month to beat for this national park.
Sunrise & Sunset: 6:45am and 5:45pm, on average.
Crowd Levels: Christmas day and the week proceeding it are always busy. The weeks leading up to Christmas, though, are generally not as crowded. It’s Hawaii, so you’ll definitely be dealing with crowds, but nowhere near like the summer months.
Top Recommendations: Winter activities at the park include exploring the Thurston Lava Tube, hike the Kilauea Iki Crater and driving the Chain of Craters Road.
Days Needed: Set aside at least two days for this park.
9) Carlsbad Caverns National Park
State: New Mexico
Reason to Visit: If you’re freaked out by bats, December is a great month to go as the bats that call Carlsbad Caverns home have migrated to Mexico for the winter. Like the others on this list, crowd levels have tapered off from the summer months and temperatures are fairly mild. The only downside is there aren’t as many guided tours available in December.
Weather: Average highs and lows settle in around the mid-50’s and mid-30’s, respectively. On occasion, there will be some days that bring about snow and ice.
Sunrise & Sunset: 6:50am and 5:00pm, on average.
Crowd Levels: There’s a divisive decrease from the summer and fall months, but the park still sees decent levels of visitation.
Top Recommendations: Going on a self-guided hike through the cave is the main attraction here. There are some guided tours available in December, but not many. Also, catching the bat flight isn’t possible because the bats migrate to Mexico once the weather cools, usually around late October.
Please support this website by subscribing to the newsletter below.
Thank you for reading.
