# Where to go in January

> Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in January: 55 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/when-to-go/january/

Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in January: 55 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.

Wondering where to go in January by RV or camper? Look south. January is the heart of winter in Europe and North America, with short days, closed mountain passes and many campgrounds shut for the season. Southern Spain and Portugal stay mild, and so do the deserts of Arizona and Southern California. In Australia and New Zealand it’s high summer. The roads are quiet almost everywhere, except around the ski resorts.

The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in January, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: in Australia, January falls in the long summer school holidays, so popular coastal campgrounds fill up early. Book ahead, or plan your stops away from the most famous beaches. In Europe, bring a reliable heater even for the south, because nights are cool.

## USA

- [Florida Gulf Coast and the Everglades](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/florida-gulf/): 3 d
- [Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-socal-coast/): 4 d
- [Oʻahu circle: Diamond Head to the North Shore](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-oahu-circle/): 2 d
- [Kohala and the Hāmākua Coast: Kona to Hilo the northern way](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-kohala-hamakua/): 3 d
- [Manatees, cypress swamps and shell beaches – by camper along Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Everglades](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-295-florida-gulf-everglades/): 8 d
- [Lava fields, black beaches and cloud forest – a campervan loop around Hawaiʻi Island](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-336-hawaii-big-island/): 7 d
- [Single-lane bridges, bamboo forest and sunrise above the clouds – by campervan along the Road to Hāna and up Haleakalā](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-353-hawaii-maui-road-to-hana/): 5 d
- [Coquina forts, sand tracks and launch pads – by camper along Florida's Atlantic coast from Amelia Island to Vero Beach](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-367-florida-atlantic-coast-st-augustine/): 8 d
- [Spring pools, manatees and sand pines – by camper from Orlando through the Ocala National Forest to the springs of Central Florida](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-528-florida-springs-ocala-forest/): 7 d
- [Florida’s Space Coast: Kennedy Space Center to Daytona](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-space-coast/): 3 d
- [A1A from Jacksonville to Daytona: forts, lighthouses and coquina](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-a1a-first-coast/): 3 d
- [Central Florida springs: Wekiwa to the Ichetucknee](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-central-florida-springs/): 4 d
- [Turquoise to the Horizon – Along the Overseas Highway to Key West](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-005-florida-keys/): 4 d
- [The Overseas Highway to Key West](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/overseas/): 2 d
- [Joshua trees, salt lake and palm oases: by camper through the deserts of Southern California](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-069-joshua-tree-anza-borrego/): 5 d
- [Orange groves, the Pink Moment and island hopping – by camper through Ventura, Ojai and to the Channel Islands](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-079-channel-islands-ventura-ojai/): 6 d
- [Road to Hana, Maui](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/road-to-hana/): 2 d
- [Hawaiʻi Island: Kona to the volcano](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/big-island/): 3 d
- [Anza-Borrego and the Salton Sea](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-anza-borrego/): 3 d
- [Kauaʻi from Hanalei to Waimea Canyon](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-kauai-loop/): 3 d
- [Manatees and springs on Florida’s Nature Coast](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b10-nature-coast-springs/): 3 d

## Europe

- [Laurel forest, lava fields and trade-wind clouds – by camper across Tenerife and La Gomera](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-341-tenerife-la-gomera/): 8 d
- [Lava fields, wine hollows and shifting dunes – by camper across Lanzarote and Fuerteventura](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-361-lanzarote-fuerteventura/): 8 d
- [Rock needles, pine forest and shifting dunes – by camper around Gran Canaria](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-650-gran-canaria/): 7 d

## Oceania

- [Surf breaks, limestone stacks and sandstone ridges – by camper along the Great Ocean Road to the Grampians](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-301-great-ocean-road/): 8 d
- [Rainforest, granite bays and wombats at dusk – a campervan loop around Tasmania](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-302-tasmania-loop/): 8 d
- [Bays, bush and penguins – by camper along the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-305-sydney-melbourne-coast/): 8 d
- [Mountain ash, muscat and snow poles – by camper through Victoria’s High Country](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-316-victorian-high-country/): 8 d
- [Sandstone gorges, gold-rush villages and snow-grass plains – through the mountains of New South Wales by camper](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-317-blue-mountains-snowy/): 8 d
- [Mineral springs, steam trains and gold-rush towns – by campervan through the Macedon Ranges and the Victorian Goldfields](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-429-vic-goldfields-macedon/): 7 d
- [Blue Mountains and the Central West](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-blue-mountains-central-west/): 5 d
- [Apple orchards, wooden boats and the end of the road – by camper through southern Tasmania to Cockle Creek](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-439-tasmania-south-huon-bruny/): 8 d
- [Tulip fields, a flat-topped mountain and the end of the world – by camper through Tasmania’s north-west and the Tarkine](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-470-tasmania-north-west-tarkine/): 8 d
- [South Coast: Kiama to Narooma](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-south-coast-kiama-to-narooma/): 4 d
- [Canberra and the Snowy Mountains](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-canberra-and-snowy-mountains/): 4 d
- [Great Ocean Road: Torquay to Warrnambool](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-great-ocean-road/): 3 d
- [Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-mornington-phillip-island/): 3 d
- [Grampians (Gariwerd) from Melbourne](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-grampians-gariwerd/): 3 d
- [Wilsons Promontory and Gippsland](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-wilsons-prom-gippsland/): 4 d
- [Victorian High Country and Yarra Valley](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-victorian-high-country/): 5 d
- [Goldfields and the Murray River](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-goldfields-murray/): 4 d
- [Sandstone villages, convict bridges and trout lakes – by campervan along Tasmania’s Heritage Highway into the highlands](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-520-tas-heritage-highway-central-highlands/): 7 d
- [Granite coves, gold-rush valley and lake country – by camper through Gippsland from Wilsons Promontory to Cape Conran](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-569-vic-gippsland-lakes-wilsons-prom/): 8 d
- [Kangaroos on the beach, orcas in the museum, a lighthouse in the bush – along the NSW south coast by camper](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-570-nsw-sapphire-coast-eurobodalla/): 8 d
- [Convict traces, dolerite columns and the wombats of Maria Island – by motorhome through Tasmania’s south-east](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-580-tas-tasman-peninsula-bruny-huon-maria-island/): 8 d
- [Ferry, lighthouse and little penguins – by camper around the Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island and the Bass Coast](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-589-vic-mornington-phillip-island-bass-coast/): 7 d
- [Limestone Coast: Coorong to Mount Gambier](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-limestone-coast-drive/): 4 d
- [Tall Timber and the South Coast to Albany](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-wa-southern-forests-albany/): 4 d

## FAQs

**Where is it warm enough to camp in January?**
In Europe, mainly in the far south: Andalusia and the Algarve often have mild, sunny days, though nights are cool. In the US, the deserts of Arizona and Southern California are pleasant. If you want real summer, look to the Southern Hemisphere: Australia and New Zealand have the opposite seasons, so January is midsummer there.

**Are campgrounds open in January?**
Some are. Many campgrounds in central and northern Europe close from autumn until around Easter. Winter campgrounds in the Alps and many sites in southern Spain and Portugal stay open all year, often with long-stay winter guests. In the US desert Southwest, January is peak season. Always check opening dates before you go.

**How are the routes for January chosen?**
Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 55 routes are rated “good” in January. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.