This realistic List of the Best Uncrowded U.S. Places to Visit helps you plan your 2024 adventures by month.

Both domestic and international travel were on the rise during 2023. A lot of destinations suffered from crowds throughout this year. As you make 2024 travel plans, consider a few less crowded destinations.

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There is no fun in dealing with crowds on vacation. You have to compete with other people when booking flights, places to stay, and tickets to the sights. Higher prices, traffic, and crime also thrive on crowds.

Instead of helping you unwind, crowded trips add to your stress levels. This is far from an ideal outcome for any traveler. But before you feel disheartened, get some hope for 2024.

This List of the Best Uncrowded U.S. Places to Visit in 2024 helps you uncover less crowded destinations by month. It covers 12 best places to visit in the United States.

1. January: Silver Springs

January is the coldest month of the year in most of the United States. Unless you are looking for some snow and ice, it could be a good time to head down south.

Two states tend to have much nicer weather than the rest in January: Hawaii and Florida. Yet, a flight to the black sand beaches and volcanoes is long and quite expensive.

This leaves the Sunshine State as your main destination. Of course, the waters of both the Gulf and the Ocean will be too cold to enjoy in January. But there is still plenty to see in Florida this time of year.

Smaller crowds, deals on flights, and cheaper places to stay are a bonus for visiting the state in January. It means that you could enjoy some of the sights just by yourself.

You should take a closer look at the natural springs in the state. Their water temperature is the same year round. If you are onboard with visiting the natural springs, look no further than Silver Springs State Park.

This spring is less than 2 hours from Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Sarasota. It gives you plenty of nearby airports to choose from. Rent a car to get to Silver Springs at your own pace.

This park is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. You are certain to see turtles, gators, birds, and various fish. January is also the prime manatee watching season in the park.

2. February: Pedernales Falls

February is the second coldest month of the year in most states. As a result, it is a good idea to keep exploring the South. This time, you should consider visiting the Southwest.

There are few holidays in February. Only President’s Day falls within the month. Few private companies recognize it as a holiday. On the one hand, crowds should not be an issue in February.

On the other, you might use your paid time off quickly. If you are trying to maximize your vacation time, it is best to visit sights near the major cities. Pedernales Falls State Park in Central Texas ticks all the boxes.

The park is an hour west of Austin, Texas. You could find a number of direct flights to its airport. Or you could reach the park from San Antonio. Of course, major hubs of Houston and Dallas are also an option.

Pedernales Falls is a great example of the Texas Hill Country. The waterfalls on the Pedernales River look more like rapids. They form narrow and deep pools with incredible water colors.

Go to the Swimming Area or the Trammel’s Crossing next. You could hit the trails or just take in the February sunshine. The temperature is at its highest around 4 p.m.

Pedernales Falls is a popular park with the locals. Many weekends will not have any open spots. You should book your ticket online in advance. Reservations become available 30 days before the date.

3. March: Frank Lloyd Wright Studio

March is the month of a spring break at the U.S. schools, colleges, and universities. A good number of families with children and students use this time to travel.

Most people try to visit warmer destinations, like Florida, Hawaii, or Mexico. Unless you are trying to break the bank, you should travel in the opposite direction.

Go inland and north. Since most national parks in the mountains are still closed, use this time to explore the American cities. Few people would go to the Midwest during the spring break.

This presents you with an opportunity to get great deals on flights, places to stay, and car rentals. A few attractions could still have off-season prices from the winter. They are often as much as 66% cheaper.

Chicago, Illinois is one of the somewhat uncrowded U.S. places to visit in March 2024. March temperatures will likely still be too cold for a Lake and River Architecture Cruise.

But you could stick to the indoor sights, like Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower or Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum. This way, you could beat the late spring and summer crowds.

Garfield Park and Lincoln Park Conservatories offer a unique experience in the Midwest. You could see tropical plants in a greenhouse no matter the weather outside. Book your free visit ahead of time.

No visit to Chicago area is complete without a trip to Oak Park, Illinois. If you like architecture, you would enjoy a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio. See how the Prairie School style was developed.

4. April: Grey Towers

April is a time of spring blossom across the Northeast. The states down south like Virginia and Tennessee would be already past their blossom peak. It means that you should travel further north.

Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are excellent choices for a trip in April. The weather should be warm enough to spend some time outdoors.

It is still a good idea to prioritize house museums over long hikes. This way, you could explore the historic places before the crowds arrive in the summer.

Grey Towers National Historic Site is among the great uncrowded U.S. places to visit in April 2024. This park in Pennsylvania has a historic mansion and well kept grounds.

The Gifford Pinchot House is a 1886 French Chateau mansion. It looks as if it came from a European postcard rather than Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The grounds of Grey Towers are equally beautiful. The East Terrace, Finger Bowl, Letter Box, and Bait Box are scenic structures. Stop and measure how long the Long Pool is in reality.

Park rangers do an amazing job keeping this site in an impeccable condition. You are certain to see blooming daffodils and yellow Lynwood Gold Forsythia in April.

5. May: Gibson House

Temperatures improve across the United States in May. Travel starts to pick, too, in preparation for Memorial Day Weekend. Beach destinations and a handful of national parks get a lot of visitors.

As with the spring break, you have to be picky about your May destination to avoid crowds. If you are planning to explore New England, May is a great time to go.

Boston, Massachusetts is a busy city no matter when you visit. But tourist crowds do not arrive in “Beantown” until late May. It makes Boston one of the best uncrowded U.S. places to visit in May 2024.

You should spend a few hours walking the Freedom Trail through Bunker Hill, North End, and Downtown. Make sure to visit Bunker Hill Monument, USS Constitution, Old North Church, and Paul Revere House.

If the weather turns for the worth, head to the house museums in Beacon Hill and Back Bay. The Nichols House Museum and Gibson House Museum are great places to learn about history.

The Gibson House Museum is an amazing display of wealth from the Gilded Age. It is also a short walk from Boston Public Library, an architectural landmark.

You have options if you have more time in Boston. You could visit the Longfellow House and Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Or book a whale watching tour to try your luck.

6. June: Exit Glacier

June is the best time to venture to the great outdoors. You cannot go wrong by traveling to a state with the most national parks. Alaska is the best uncrowded U.S. destination in June 2024.

You will have nearly 24 hours a day to explore the parks and sights in Alaska. And the lowest population density among all states helps keep crowds to a minimum.

There are a lot of things to do in Alaska in June. You could join a wildlife safari in Denali. This is a perfect way to see the Big Five animals: wolf, grizzly bear, moose, caribou, and dall sheep.

You could drive McCarthy Road to Kennecott and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. It is very unlikely that you will run into crowds in the biggest national park.

But you might not feel like going to the remote places. Chugach State Park and Matanuska Glacier are within a short drive from Anchorage. But they attract a good number of local visitors on the weekends.

Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park has a good balance between remoteness and crowds. The park is just 2.5 hours from Anchorage. Yet, you will be hiking its trails and enjoying the glacier on your own.

You could choose to take a wildlife cruise in Kenai Fjords from nearby Seward. Or just drive the scenic highways to see glaciers and wildlife.

7. July: Redwood

The middle of the summer could be a good time to take the next trip. This is also the busiest time of the year in the national parks. This is true everywhere, from Colorado and Wyoming to Oregon and California.

But it would be a shame to let long daylight and great weather go to waste. You just need to pick a destination that is remote enough to avoid crowds.

There is hardly a better U.S. place to visit in July than Northern California. This region is far enough from big cities and airports. You would need to drive for 5 hours to reach it from the nearest hub.

This does not stop the crowds at Crater Lake National Park. But you could count on Redwood being among the uncrowded U.S. places to visit in July 2024.

The park is so large that the crowds do not have time to form. Some visitors choose to see Redwoods up north in Jedediah Smith Redwoods. Others spend most time on the beach at Wilson Creek.

Most visitors drive on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway to the Big Tree Wayside. You should not miss one of the oldest trees in the world. But the trail is so short that you could be back on the road in no time.

Visiting Redwood in July gives you a chance to see the tallest trees before the annual wildfire season. Even if the trees withstand the fire, its smoke makes a visit in August and September very dangerous.

You could also add other places in the region to your itinerary. Visit Oregon Caves, Lava Beds, and Lassen Volcanic before you fly back.

8. August: Black Canyon

August is a good time to explore parks in the mountains before they close in September or October. Colorado is an excellent choice to see the mountains in the contiguous United States.

Most national parks and sites in Colorado get very busy in August. This is true for Rocky Mountain, Mount Evans, Mesa Verde, and Great Sand Dunes. Some parks require advance reservations to enter.

But Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is an exception. The park is in the center of the state, outside of the main highways. It takes about 5 hours to reach Black Canyon from Denver.

This distance is enough to deter some crowds. But it does not makes Black Canyon any less beautiful or worthy of your time. Take the Scenic Drive through the South Rim and to East Portal.

Each viewpoint on the Drive has a short hike. By the time you reach the High Point, you would feel these hiking distances add up.

Resist the temptation to skip a viewpoint or two. All of them give a different look at this gorgeous canyon. But if you need to prioritize, pick the Tomichi Point, Cross Fissures, Chasm View, and Painted Wall.

The last viewpoint displays the signature rock formation in the park. This granite cliff is higher than the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

If you enjoy a no crowds experience in Black Canyon, go to Colorado National Monument next. A scenic drive through this park brings you through the red rock canyons.

9. September: Shenandoah

September is a busy travel period up until Labor Day Weekend. But with kids in schools, crowds start to decline soon after. This is a great time to travel if you have flexibility.

There are a lot of places you could visit with far fewer crowds than in the summer. But you need to take weather into account. It will be too cold to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

Hurricanes make the Gulf Coast a dangerous destination to visit. Tornadoes and more plentiful rainfall take over the Great Plains. It greatly narrows down the list of the less crowded U.S. destinations.

Take a closer look at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It is one of the best uncrowded U.S. places to visit in September 2024.

You could see the famous Blue Ridge without the summer crowds. Take the 105-mi (169-km) Skyline Drive or hike some of 500 miles (805 km) of trails.

September is too early to see fall foliage in Shenandoah. But trees at higher elevations will start to change colors. This will help keep the crowds from Washington, D.C. to a manageable level.

D.C. is the closest large city to the park. It is very likely that you would fly into one of the area’s airports as an out-of-state visitor. In this case, visit National Mall, Hillwood Estate, or Baltimore Historic Ships.

10. October: Delaware Water Gap

October is the time to see fall foliage across the Northeast. A lot of people travel to New England to enjoy amazing fall colors. It is no a surprise that Acadia National Park gets crowded early October.

But you do not have to travel to Acadia to see fall foliage. Even a neighborhood park in the Northeast could be an amazing display of colors.

The key is in finding balance. You need a scenic destination that is either remote enough or off-the-beaten path to avoid crowds.

You cannot go wrong with Delaware Water Gap. This National Recreation Area is about 90 minutes west from New York City. But most people just visit the Kittatinny Point next to Interstate Highway I-80.

Drive to slightly more remote parts of the park in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. The New Jersey side gets far less visitors. You could see Buttermilk Falls, the highest waterfall in the state, by yourself.

There should not be large crowds even if you decide to visit waterfalls in Pennsylvania. Raymondskill Falls, Dingmans Falls, and Silverthread Falls are worth taking this risk.

You should also visit the nearby parks. Grey Towers and High Point are less than 20 minutes from Delaware Water Gap. Waterloo Village and Ramapo Mountain are further away but might be on the way.

11. November: Bryce Canyon

November is a big month for domestic travel. A lot of Americans go on the road to visit families during the Thanksgiving break. This could be a great time to take a trip abroad.

Destinations in the Southern Hemisphere, like Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand are getting ready for the summer. You could catch a few more warm days without spending a fortune.

There are also ways to enjoy uncrowded destinations in the United States in November 2024. You should take a closer look at Southern Utah and Nevada.

Zion National Park remains popular year round. There is rarely a day at that park when you are not hiking in a crowd. But other parks in the region are perfect to explore without lines and shuttles.

Drive to Bryce Canyon National Park. This park is just a 90-minute drive northeast of Zion. But this distance is enough to scare off some visitors. Take a Scenic Drive to the Rainbow Point and back.

The temperatures in November might be too cold to hike the Under-the-Rim Trail. But making stops at the viewpoints on the Scenic Drive is a comfortable way to see the park.

You could also use Bryce Canyon as a starting point to explore other parks in the region. Consider driving to Capitol Reef, Snow Canyon, or Cathedral Gorge. All of these parks will not have crowds in November.

12. December: Channel Islands

December is another busy time of the year for travel. The holiday season at the end of the month makes it difficult to avoid crowds and find good deals.

You would need to travel before the holiday rush to have a nice travel experience. Otherwise get ready for holiday crowds at the airports and popular sights.

If you plan in advance, you could still find less crowded places even next to the biggest cities. Take a look at Channel Islands off the shore of Los Angeles, California.

You might not believe it at first but they are a great uncrowded U.S. destination to visit in December 2024. A ferry is the only way to reach the islands. There is at most one ferry a day to each island.

This schedule provides a hard limit on the number of people on the island. It is best to book your ferry ride in advance since it will sell out during the holidays.

Take a ferry to Scorpions Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. This 60-minute ride is great see dolphins, harbor seals, and whales. Whales come to Channel Islands from Alaska only for the winter.

Once on the island, hike to Potato Harbor and Scorpion Canyon. You are certain to see island foxes. These cute animals are a size of a cat. Let’s keep wildlife wild: give space and do not feed the foxes.

Takeaways: Best Uncrowded Places to Visit in 2024

Finding uncrowded U.S. places to visit is a great quest for 2024. Unless you only visit remote destinations in Alaska, North Dakota, or South Dakota, you have to be flexible.

You cannot assume that one place will never attract crowds throughout the year. The same park, like Shenandoah or Pedernales Falls, could be crowded during some months and nice during others.

If you plan in advance and go a little off the beaten path, you could enjoy great places without crowds. This should help you get the most from your travel time and budget in 2024.

Take a look at this Video List of the Best Uncrowded U.S. Places to Visit in 2024. And visit the YouTube channel for the latest videos.

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