Travel Place Finder

Best time to visit United States

Compare the seasons across the 28 destinations covered here. Country summaries reflect these places, not every part of United States.

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Travel advisory snapshot

Snapshot checked 2026-10-13. Read current official guidance before booking. Seasonal suitability does not override a travel advisory.

Read the official advisory

Seasons at a glance

Monthly seasonal ratings for the places covered in United States. Select a place to read its climate and seasonal reasons.
Places to exploreJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
New York2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK3 OK5 Best5 Best4 Good4 Good
Boston2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good4 Good5 Best5 Best3 OK3 OK
Washington, D.C.2 Not ideal2 Not ideal4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best3 OK3 OK
New England3 OK3 OK3 OK2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best5 Best5 Best2 Not ideal3 OK
Chicago2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK3 OK
Nashville2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK
New Orleans3 OK5 Best4 Good5 Best4 Good2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal4 Good4 Good3 OK
Miami5 Best5 Best5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best
Orlando5 Best5 Best5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best
Florida Keys5 Best5 Best5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best
Las Vegas3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK5 Best4 Good3 OK
Grand Canyon3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK3 OK5 Best5 Best3 OK3 OK
Sedona3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK
Utah National Parks3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK
Yellowstone3 OK3 OK3 OK2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good5 Best4 Good5 Best3 OK2 Not ideal3 OK
Glacier National Park2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK5 Best4 Good4 Good2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal
Colorado Rockies5 Best5 Best5 Best3 OK2 Not ideal4 Good5 Best4 Good5 Best3 OK3 OK5 Best
Yosemite3 OK3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK4 Good4 Good3 OK3 OK
Napa Valley3 OK3 OK4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good4 Good4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK
San Francisco3 OK3 OK4 Good4 Good4 Good3 OK3 OK3 OK5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK
Los Angeles4 Good4 Good4 Good4 Good3 OK3 OK4 Good4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good4 Good
San Diego4 Good4 Good4 Good4 Good3 OK3 OK4 Good4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good4 Good
Seattle2 Not ideal2 Not ideal3 OK3 OK4 Good4 Good5 Best5 Best4 Good3 OK2 Not ideal2 Not ideal
Oʻahu (Honolulu)4 Good5 Best4 Good4 Good5 Best4 Good4 Good4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK4 Good
Maui4 Good5 Best4 Good4 Good5 Best4 Good4 Good4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK4 Good
Hawaiʻi Island4 Good5 Best4 Good4 Good5 Best4 Good4 Good4 Good5 Best4 Good3 OK4 Good
Anchorage & Denali2 Not ideal3 OK3 OK2 Not ideal3 OK5 Best5 Best4 Good4 Good2 Not ideal2 Not ideal2 Not ideal
Fairbanks4 Good5 Best5 Best3 OK2 Not ideal3 OK4 Good3 OK4 Good3 OK3 OK3 OK

Scroll the table horizontally to see every column.

  1. 1 · Avoid
  2. 2 · Not ideal
  3. 3 · OK
  4. 4 · Good
  5. 5 · Best

Editorial seasonal ratings describe conditions for a trip. They are not safety ratings or weather forecasts.

Regional differences

Local food and lodging costs

National price level: 100, with the United States at 100. Reference year: 2025. This is a relative food and lodging indicator, not a trip budget; flights are excluded.

Places to explore

  • New York

    The city that never sleeps, best in fall and at Christmas

  • Boston

    Harvard, the Freedom Trail and lobster

  • Washington, D.C.

    A capital of free museums, with spring cherry blossom

  • New England

    America's most famous fall foliage

  • Chicago

    A city of great architecture and lakefront summers

  • Nashville

    Capital of country music

  • New Orleans

    Jazz, Creole cooking and Mardi Gras

  • Miami

    South Beach and Little Havana, a winter warm escape

  • Orlando

    Theme park capital, home to Disney World and Universal

  • Florida Keys

    A chain of coral islands strung by an overseas highway

  • Las Vegas

    Casinos and shows, and the way in to the Grand Canyon

  • Grand Canyon

    An immense canyon cut by the Colorado River

  • Sedona

    A red rock town and its energy vortexes

  • Utah National Parks

    Red rock country: Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches

  • Yellowstone

    Geysers, wildly colored hot springs and bison

  • Glacier National Park

    Going-to-the-Sun Road and glacial lakes, open in summer

  • Colorado Rockies

    Rocky Mountain ski slopes and golden September aspens

  • Yosemite

    Granite walls and waterfalls, at their fullest in May

  • Napa Valley

    California wine country, grape harvest in the fall

  • San Francisco

    The Golden Gate, and real summer only in Sep and Oct

  • Los Angeles

    Hollywood, beaches and sunshine all year

  • San Diego

    One of the mildest climates in the United States

  • Seattle

    The rainy city turns dry and clear in summer

  • Oʻahu (Honolulu)

    Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor

  • Maui

    Sunrise on Haleakalā and winter whale watching

  • Hawaiʻi Island

    Live volcanoes and dark skies, many climates on one isle

  • Anchorage & Denali

    North America's highest peak and glacier cruises

  • Fairbanks

    A small city right under the auroral oval

Sources and limits

This tool uses stored snapshots and is not updated in real time. Climate averages are not forecasts, and seasonal ratings are not safety assessments. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Before booking, check current official travel advisories, entry requirements, weather forecasts and local conditions.

TerraClimate · NASA POWER · NOAA OISST · Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (2021)

How it works and data sources · Sources and third-party licenses