10 U.S National Parks to Visit in September
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About This Series
This post is part of a planned series of twelve articles about which National Parks are the best to visit in each respective month. Some parks will appear multiple times throughout the series while others may receive only one mention.
In this series, we’ll cover a variety of topics, including weather, crowd levels, what makes each park special and more! It will be based on my own experiences in addition to extensive research.
September
September is one of the best overall months to visit several national parks. The weather has cooled from the summer heat, crowds have begun to thin out and our national parks tend to be among the best places to see jaw-dropping fall colors.
In this list, I’ll spotlight 10 national parks that I feel are the best to visit in September. Let’s get into it.
1) Arcadia National Park
Known as the, “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast”, Arcadia National Park features several short and sweet hiking trails, jaw-dropping views, granite coastal cliffs and the tallest mountain on the Atlantic Coast.
Location: Maine
Weather: In September, Arcadia sees average high temperatures in the low 70’s with average lows in the mid 50’s. It’s also a dry month, only seeing four inches of rain.
Sunrise + Sunset: 6:15am and 6:45pm, respectively.
Top Recommendation: Hike the Precipice Trail for the ultimate thrill.
How Many Days: While you could see most of the highlights in a single day, I recommend dedicating at least two days to get the most out of your visit.
2) Rocky Mountain National Park
Massive mountain peaks, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, a variety of wildlife, alpine lakes - there’s nothing to dislike and everything to love about Rocky Mountain National Park.
Location: Colorado
Weather: In short, it’s perfect hiking weather. Average highs hover around 70 degrees with the lows in the low 40s.
Sunrise + Sunset: 6:45am and 7:15pm, respectively.
Top Recommendation: Hike to Sky Pond and Chasm Lake.
How Many Days: Definitely three, at a minimum.
3) Grand Teton National Park
The fall colors in the Grand Tetons are among the best of any park you’ll ever visit. Dramatic towering peaks and beautiful lakes are just a couple features of Yellowstone’s neighboring park.
Location: Wyoming
Weather: The park sees a minimal amount of rain. The average high is around 70 degrees but can get into the 80’s on some days. The lows hover in the mid 30’s.
Sunrise + Sunset: 7:00am and 7:30pm.
Top Recommendation: Jenny Lake and its many hiking trails.
How Many Days: You can get away with one, full day here.
4) Channel Islands National Park
Located off the Southern California coast, Channel Islands National Park consist of five of the eight Channel Islands. From late August into September, the waters around the islands are warm and calm, making activities such as snorkeling and kayaking more enjoyable.
Located: California
Weather: Minimal rainfall and near perfect temperatures of 70 degrees at the high end and 60 degrees on the low.
Sunrise + Sunset: 6:45am and 7:00pm.
Top Recommendation: Take a kayaking tour around the islands.
How Many Days: One day would suffice.
5) Glacier National Park
Hiking in Glacier National Park in the summer months is a pleasant experience due to the high elevations of the park, resulting in surprisingly mellow temperatures.
While the park still sees a high level of crowds, it isn’t as bad as the peak summer months and once you head out on the hiking trails, you’ll see even fewer people.
Location: Montana
Weather: Not much rain, with mild highs in the low 60’s and average lows in the 40’s. There are some days that will get into the 80’s, though.
Sunrise + Sunset: 7:15am and 7:45pm.
Top Recommendation: I have two. Hike the Highline Trail and drive Going-to-the-Sun Road.
How Many Days: To see the main highlights, one or two would suffice. To hike the trails, be sure to allocate three or more.
6) Great Basin National Park
Great Basin, at the time of this writing, is Nevada’s sole national park. It’s located in the far east portion of the state, in close proximity to the Utah border.
The park has a fair amount of hiking trails with the Bristlecone Trail, Wheeler Peak summit, and Alpine Trail being the most popular. Open to guided tours is Lehman Cave, a unique feature of the park.
Location: Nevada
Weather: Average high of 74 degrees and averages lows in the 40’s. Rainfall is low.
Sunrise + Sunset: 6:20am and 6:45pm.
Top Recommendation: Tour Lehman Cave. If you have the stamina, hike to Wheeler Peak.
How Many Days: One would suffice here.
7) Crater Lake National Park
About 8,000 years ago, Mount Mazama erupted and collapsed within itself. What remained was a caldera that eventually filled with water and later became what we know now as Crater Lake.
Due to the heavy amount of snow Crater Lake receives, most roads in the park are only accessible from mid-July to late October. In September, it’s warm and snow-free, making it a great month to visit.
Location: Oregon
Weather: The average high is 63 degrees and the average low is 37 degrees. You won’t have to worry about much rain as September is one of the driest months of the year.
Sunrise + Sunset: 7:00am and 7:15pm
Top Recommendation: Take a boat tour to Wizard Island.
How Many Days: You can see all the highlights in one day.
8) Mount Rainer National Park
The glacier-capped Mount Rainer can be seen from all around the state of Washington, but seeing it up close and personal from one of its dozens of hiking trails is a surreal experience.
There’s something for everyone at this park. From short trails for beginners to multi-day treks and everything in between. September, in particular, is a great month to visit the park.
Location: Washington
Weather: Average high is 69 degrees with the average low sitting at a cool 42. The downside is September is the beginning of the wet season in Washington. It still isn’t that bad, though. The month gets around 3.5 inches (90mm) of rain.
Sunrise + Sunset: 6:45am and 7:20pm.
Top Recommendation: Hike part (or all) of the 93-mile Skyline Trail.
How Many Days: With all the hiking trails and other experiences in the park, I recommend at least three days.
9) Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone, America’s first national park, is a place every nature enthusiast should visit at least once. With it being in such close proximity to Grand Teton, it’s easy to knock out both in the same trip.
The summer crowds tend to linger for the fist two weeks of the month, but start to fall off in the second half. Weather is typically mild with mostly clear skies and very little rainfall.
Location: Wyoming
Weather: Not much rain to worry about. Average high is around 66 degrees with the lows dipping into the low 30’s.
Sunrise + Sunset: 7:00am and 7:30pm.
Top Recommendation: Too many to list, but Old Faithful and Prismatic Spring are a good places to start.
How Many Days: Due to its sheer size, I recommend at least two days. Three would be preferable.
10) Yosemite National Park
Yosemite has been and likely forever will be my favorite National Park. It’s where I fell back in love with the outdoors and spawned my passion for photographing and sharing my travels. Ultimately, it led to the creation of this very website.
I’ve been to Yosemite countless times in just about every season and fall is my hands-down favorite. While I would encourage you to hold off until October, September is a great month as well.
Much like Yellowstone, the first half of the month still sees considerable crowds. The second half, though, sees a decline in visitation, great weather and beautiful fall colors.
Location: California.
Weather: Temps are still fairly warm at 84 degrees, with the lows at a cool 50. There isn’t much rain, though, as the month only sees two days of rainfall.
Sunrise + Sunset: 6:45am and 7:00pm.
Top Recommendation: Hike Half Dome if you can get a permit. If not, hike the Mist Trail.
How Many Days: I recommend at least two days, but three is ideal.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of national parks you can visit in September by any means, but they are the ten that I feel you would get the most out of.
September is still a bit too warm for parks in Utah and Arizona (don’t worry, we’ll cover those in the October article in this series).
While I only listed two of California’s national parks, September is a great month to visit most of them. A few that come to mind include Lassen Volcanic, Sequoia (great fall colors), and the Redwoods.
List recap
Arcadia National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Channel Islands National Park
Glacier National Park
Great Basin National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Mount Rainer National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
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