Best time to visit Missouri National Recreational River
October is the best balance at Missouri National Recreational River: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 65°F), with busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 19,000 visitors. March is the quietest, with highs near 48°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Vermillion 2 SE, SD USC00398622
- Lat / lon
- 42.76, -96.92
- Elevation
- 1,137 ft
- From park center
- 2.1 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 31° | 36° | 48° | 62° | 73° | 82° | 86° | 83° | 78° | 65° | 48° | 34° | 60° |
| Low, °F | 10° | 14° | 25° | 36° | 48° | 59° | 63° | 61° | 52° | 39° | 25° | 15° | 37° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 28.0 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:21 | 10:28 | 11:47 | 13:19 | 14:36 | 15:18 | 15:02 | 13:55 | 12:26 | 10:58 | 9:41 | 9:03 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 145 |
| Crowds | Moderate | Quiet | Moderate | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 10° | 0.5 | – | 9:21 | 5,800 | Moderate | Cold |
| February | 36° | 14° | 0.7 | – | 10:28 | 5,400 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 48° | 25° | 1.4 | – | 11:47 | 6,600 | Moderate | Cool |
| April | 62° | 36° | 3.1 | – | 13:19 | 12,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| May | 73° | 48° | 4.0 | – | 14:36 | 17,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.3 | – | 15:18 | 18,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| July | 86° | 63° | 3.6 | – | 15:02 | 19,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 83° | 61° | 2.9 | – | 13:55 | 16,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| September | 78° | 52° | 3.1 | – | 12:26 | 16,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 65° | 39° | 2.4 | – | 10:58 | 15,000 | Busy | Mild |
| November | 48° | 25° | 1.3 | – | 9:41 | 8,500 | Moderate | Cool |
| December | 34° | 15° | 0.8 | – | 9:03 | 6,600 | Moderate | Cold |
| Year | 60° | 37° | 28.0 | – | 145,000 | |||
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 86°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 10°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 145,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State South Dakota
Closures, reservations and alerts: Missouri National Recreational River on nps.gov
Nearby
- Pipestone National MonumentBest: Oct · Minnesota
- Niobrara National Scenic RiverBest: Oct · Nebraska
- Mississippi National River and Recreation AreaBest: Oct · Minnesota
- Minuteman Missile National Historic SiteBest: Apr, May and Oct · South Dakota