Where to go in April
Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in April: 490 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Where to go in April by RV or camper? April is spring in full swing across southern and western Europe, with blossoming orchards, green hills and wildflowers along the Mediterranean. Many campgrounds open for the season around Easter, and outside the Easter holidays it’s still pleasantly quiet. High alpine passes usually stay closed. In the US, the national parks of the Southwest are at their best, and Australia enjoys mild autumn days.
The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in April, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: April weather is famously fickle. Pack for both sunshine and cold snaps, and remember that snow can still fall at higher elevations. Around Easter, popular campgrounds fill up quickly, so book ahead if you’re traveling during the holidays.
USA · 145 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
© Jamie Hagan dearjamie · CC0Utah's five national parks, in one loop from Las Vegas
© Arjun R · CC BY-SA 4.0Death Valley loop
Photo by Clayton Cardinalli on UnsplashLake Tahoe loop
Photo by Taisia Karaseva on UnsplashSequoia and Yosemite
Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on UnsplashRed rock Arizona
Photo by Richard Hedrick on UnsplashHigh Road to Taos
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashTexas Gulf Coast
Photo by Pretty Pink on UnsplashRoute 66, part two: Oklahoma City to the Pacific
© Eric Guinther, User:Marshman · CC BY-SA 3.0Chihuahuan Desert parks
© Chris connelly · CC BY 2.0Natchez Trace Parkway
© OakleyOriginals · CC BY 2.0Arkansas Ozarks
© bobistraveling · CC BY 2.0Lowcountry: Charleston to Savannah
Photo by History in HD on UnsplashOuter Banks
© Hans Stieglitz · CC BY-SA 3.0Florida Gulf Coast and the Everglades
© Dariusz Jemielniak ("Pundit") · CC BY-SA 4.0Highway 1: San Francisco to Santa Monica
Photo by Mason @ TRI on UnsplashFlorida’s Forgotten Coast
© Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego
© Marty Aligata · CC BY-SA 4.0Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and the Giant Forest
© m01229 · CC BY-SA 2.0US-395: Alabama Hills, Manzanar and the bristlecones
Photo by Royce Fonseca on UnsplashMammoth Lakes, June Lake Loop and the ghost town of Bodie
© G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 4.0Death Valley in depth: Dante’s View to Ubehebe Crater
© silvereye · CC BY 2.0Santa Ynez Valley: missions, wine and dunes
© AnnBoulais · Pixabay Content LicenseGreat Basin Highway: canyons, ghost towns and charcoal ovens
© Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Grand Canyon North Rim and Marble Canyon: Kanab to Page
Europe · 239 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
Photo by Rob Menting on UnsplashTuscany and Lazio by motorhome
© BenAveling · CC BY-SA 4.0Sicily loop: temples, Etna and Baroque towns
Photo by Jordi Vich Navarro on UnsplashSardinia’s Orientale Sarda
Photo by Vincenzo De Simone on UnsplashPuglia: trulli, white towns and the heel of Italy
© Mentnafunangann · CC BY-SA 3.0Cilento and Maratea: the quiet side of Campania
© pizzodisevo · CC BY-SA 2.0Monti Sibillini: Ascoli to the flowering plain
© maury3001 · CC BY 3.0Trabocchi Coast to the Molise and Abruzzo mountains
© Bernard Gagnon · CC0Gargano: forest, cliffs and sea stacks
© Adbar · CC BY-SA 3.0Castles and ravines of the Alta Murgia
© Mattis · CC BY-SA 3.0Basilicata: Matera, ghost towns and the Lucanian Dolomites
© Giuseppe Guida · CC BY-SA 2.0Calabria’s Coast of the Gods
© DonGatley · CC BY-SA 4.0Pollino and Sila: Calabria’s mountain heart
© Derbrauni · CC BY 4.0Western Sicily: Segesta, Erice and the salt pans
Photo by Sotiris Kastanas on UnsplashInland Sicily: mosaics, majolica and the Madonie
Photo by Krzysztof on UnsplashSardinia’s west coast: Alghero to Barumini
© Discanto · CC BY-SA 4.0Gallura: granite coast of northern Sardinia
Photo by Leo_Visions on UnsplashMaremma: cypresses, hot springs and tuff towns
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on UnsplashItalian Riviera: Genoa to Lerici
Photo by Doni Rath on UnsplashUmbria’s hill towns
Photo by Jose Manuel Esp on UnsplashPompeii and the Amalfi Coast from Naples
© Stadtgliederung · CC BY 4.0Abruzzo: Gran Sasso and the stone villages
Photo by James Orr on UnsplashLuberon perched villages
© Meria Geoian · CC BY-SA 4.0Côte Vermeille and the little yellow train
© Giuseppe Paris · CC BY 3.0Val d’Orcia slow road
Oceania · 106 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
© Avcer0 · CC BY-SA 4.0From the Bay of Islands to Cape Reinga and back
© Ivyluphotography · Pixabay Content LicenseThe Kauri Coast and Hokianga from Kaikohe to Matakohe
© Originally uploaded by Kaiwhakahaere (Transferred by Gobonobo) · Public domainThree days in the Bay of Islands: Waitangi to Kerikeri
Photo by Abdul Hayee on UnsplashAuckland and the wild Waitākere west coast beaches
Photo by RE Walsh on UnsplashAuckland to Whangārei by the north-east coast
© David Schmitz · CC BY 2.0The Coromandel Peninsula loop from Thames to Waihī
© Symac · CC BY-SA 3.0Waikato circuit: Hobbiton, Waitomo caves, Kawhia and Raglan
© Ulrich Lange, Bochum, Germany · CC BY-SA 3.0Two days along the Bay of Plenty from Waihī to Te Kaha
© Ulrich Lange, Bochum, Germany · CC BY-SA 3.0The East Cape road from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne
Photo by Patrick McGregor on UnsplashRotorua, Taupō and Tongariro: a volcanic plateau road trip
© Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainTongariro National Park, Whakapapa and Ōhakune in two days
Photo by Jonathan Göhner on UnsplashWaitomo caves and the SH3 coast road to New Plymouth
Photo by Sam Benstan on UnsplashAround Mt Taranaki on the Surf Highway and mountain roads
Photo by Rod Long on UnsplashThe Forgotten World Highway from Stratford to Taumarunui
© Reinhard Dietrich · CC0The Whanganui River Road from Whanganui to Ōhakune
Photo by Charlie Charoenwattana on UnsplashHawke's Bay: Napier, Hastings, wine and Cape Kidnappers
© Voice of Clam · Public domainWellington to Wairarapa wine country and Cape Palliser
Photo by Ms M on UnsplashSurf breaks, limestone stacks and sandstone ridges – by camper along the Great Ocean Road to the Grampians
© Maksym Kozlenko · CC BY-SA 4.0Taihape to Wellington through Manawatū and the Kāpiti Coast
© Ulrich Lange, Bochum, Germany · CC BY-SA 4.0From Picton Through the Marlborough Sounds to Nelson
Photo by Leon Feng on UnsplashAlong SH1 from Picton through Marlborough Wine Country to Kaikōura
Photo by Wallace Fonseca on UnsplashFrom Nelson to Abel Tasman, Takaka and the Top of the South
Photo by Marc Muylaert on UnsplashFrom Nelson to Westport via Nelson Lakes and the Buller Gorge
Photo by Laura Cros on UnsplashBays, bush and penguins – by camper along the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne
FAQs
Where is the best place to go by motorhome in April?
Southern Europe is ideal: Portugal, Andalusia, Provence, Tuscany, Sicily and Greece offer spring weather without the summer heat or crowds. In the US, Utah and Arizona are perfect for hiking. In Australia, April brings pleasant autumn weather in the south and the end of the wet season in the tropical north.
When do campgrounds open in spring?
Many campgrounds in central and northern Europe open around Easter, others in April or May. In the mountains and in Scandinavia, some open only in late spring or early summer. Campgrounds on the Mediterranean coast often open earlier or stay open all year. Check the opening dates of each campground before you go.
How are the routes for April chosen?
Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 490 routes are rated “good” in April. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.