Best time to visit New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
September and October are the best balance at New River Gorge: mild and dry for the park (average highs 65° to 75°F), with busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 280,000 visitors. January is the quietest, with highs near 41°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Oak Hill, WV USC00466591
- Lat / lon
- 37.97, -81.15
- Elevation
- 2,040 ft
- From park center
- 7.8 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 41° | 44° | 52° | 64° | 72° | 79° | 81° | 81° | 75° | 65° | 54° | 45° | 63° |
| Low, °F | 23° | 25° | 31° | 41° | 50° | 58° | 61° | 60° | 54° | 42° | 33° | 27° | 42° |
| Precipitation, in | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 47.9 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:48 | 10:44 | 11:50 | 13:07 | 14:12 | 14:46 | 14:33 | 13:37 | 12:23 | 11:09 | 10:04 | 9:33 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 40 | 48 | 95 | 107 | 218 | 244 | 280 | 250 | 189 | 208 | 91 | 56 | 1,826 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Moderate | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Moderate | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Mild | Mild | Cool | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 3.5 | – | 9:48 | 40,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| February | 44° | 25° | 3.3 | – | 10:44 | 48,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| March | 52° | 31° | 4.2 | – | 11:50 | 95,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| April | 64° | 41° | 4.2 | – | 13:07 | 107,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| May | 72° | 50° | 5.1 | – | 14:12 | 218,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| June | 79° | 58° | 5.5 | – | 14:46 | 244,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 81° | 61° | 4.6 | – | 14:33 | 280,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.1 | – | 13:37 | 250,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| Septemberbest | 75° | 54° | 3.7 | – | 12:23 | 189,000 | Busy | Mild |
| Octoberbest | 65° | 42° | 2.9 | – | 11:09 | 208,000 | Busy | Mild |
| November | 54° | 33° | 2.9 | – | 10:04 | 91,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| December | 45° | 27° | 3.9 | – | 9:33 | 56,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 47.9 | – | 1,826,000 | |||
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 81°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 23°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 1,826,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State West Virginia
Closures, reservations and alerts: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve on nps.gov
Nearby
- Gauley River National Recreation AreaBest: Sep, Oct and Nov · West Virginia
- Blue Ridge ParkwayBest: Jun and Oct · North Carolina and Virginia
- Appomattox Court House National Historical ParkBest: Apr and Nov · Virginia
- Guilford Courthouse National Military ParkBest: May, Oct and Nov · North Carolina