Best time to visit Gauley River National Recreation Area
September, October and November are the best balance at Gauley River National Recreation Area: mild and dry for the park (average highs 56° to 78°F), with crowds from quiet to very busy. September is busiest, with about 66,000 visitors. January is the quietest, with highs near 42°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Anstead Hawks Nest Sp, WV USC00460202
- Lat / lon
- 38.12, -81.12
- Elevation
- 1,296 ft
- From park center
- 5.5 mi
- Second station
- Rupert 4 N, WV 3,319 ft
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Octbest | Novbest | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 42° | 47° | 55° | 68° | 75° | 81° | 84° | 83° | 78° | 68° | 56° | 46° | 65° |
| Low, °F | 23° | 25° | 31° | 40° | 50° | 58° | 62° | 61° | 54° | 43° | 33° | 27° | 42° |
| High at 3,319 ft, °F | 34° | 38° | 46° | 59° | 67° | 73° | 77° | 76° | 71° | 60° | 48° | 38° | 57° |
| Precipitation, in | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 48.0 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:47 | 10:43 | 11:50 | 13:08 | 14:13 | 14:48 | 14:34 | 13:38 | 12:23 | 11:08 | 10:03 | 9:31 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 66 | 54 | 6 | 4 | 225 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Very busy | Very busy | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Hot | Mild | Mild | Mild | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | High at 3,319 ft | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 23° | 34° | 3.3 | – | 9:47 | 3,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| February | 47° | 25° | 38° | 3.0 | – | 10:43 | 4,300 | Quiet | Cool |
| March | 55° | 31° | 46° | 4.2 | – | 11:50 | 9,800 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| April | 68° | 40° | 59° | 4.3 | – | 13:08 | 12,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| May | 75° | 50° | 67° | 5.0 | – | 14:13 | 15,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| June | 81° | 58° | 73° | 4.7 | – | 14:48 | 16,000 | Quiet | Hot |
| July | 84° | 62° | 77° | 5.9 | – | 14:34 | 20,000 | Quiet | Hot |
| August | 83° | 61° | 76° | 4.2 | – | 13:38 | 16,000 | Quiet | Hot |
| Septemberbest | 78° | 54° | 71° | 3.6 | – | 12:23 | 66,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Octoberbest | 68° | 43° | 60° | 3.1 | – | 11:08 | 54,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Novemberbest | 56° | 33° | 48° | 3.1 | – | 10:03 | 5,600 | Quiet | Mild |
| December | 46° | 27° | 38° | 3.7 | – | 9:31 | 3,800 | Quiet | Cool |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 57° | 48.0 | – | 225,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 84°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 23°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 225,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State West Virginia
Elevation matters here: the record's second station, Rupert 4 N, WV, sits at 3,319 ft, against 1,296 ft for Anstead Hawks Nest Sp, WV. Expect conditions between the two depending on where you go.
Closures, reservations and alerts: Gauley River National Recreation Area on nps.gov
Nearby
- New River Gorge National Park and PreserveBest: Sep and Oct · West Virginia
- Blue Ridge ParkwayBest: Jun and Oct · North Carolina and Virginia
- Hopewell Culture National Historical ParkBest: Sep and Oct · Ohio
- Appomattox Court House National Historical ParkBest: Apr and Nov · Virginia