Where to go in September
Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in September: 889 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Where to go in September by RV or camper? September is a favorite month for many campers: the summer crowds are gone, the sea is still warm and the light gets softer. Around the Mediterranean, temperatures become pleasant again, and in wine regions the harvest begins. Mountain passes are usually still open. In the US, the national parks get quieter, and in Australia spring arrives, with wildflowers in the west.
The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in September, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: after the school holidays, many campgrounds switch to low-season rates while staying open. In the mountains and the far north, however, the first ones close towards the end of the month, and snow can fall on high passes, so check the forecast and opening dates.
USA · 317 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
© Bob Linsdell · CC BY 3.0Fall color: the Kancamagus to Acadia
Photo by Tim Mossholder on UnsplashOregon Coast on US-101
© Lance Anderson lanceanderson · CC0Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run
Photo by Brewing Cats on UnsplashNorth Cascades Highway
Photo by The AIRDEEz on UnsplashThe Blue Ridge Parkway, end to end
Photo by Caleb Riston on UnsplashRainier and St. Helens volcano loop
© Ian Sane from Oregon, USA · CC BY 2.0Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood
Photo by Taisia Karaseva on UnsplashSequoia and Yosemite
Photo by Michael Kirsh on UnsplashGoing-to-the-Sun Road, west to east
Photo by Andrew Svk on UnsplashSan Juan Skyway
Photo by Caleb Jack on UnsplashTop of the Rockies to Aspen
© Ahodges7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Colorado Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park
Photo by Mick Haupt on UnsplashRoute 66, part one: Chicago to Oklahoma City
Photo by shalender kumar on UnsplashGreat River Road: the upper Mississippi
Photo by Jeff DeWitt on UnsplashLake Michigan's dune coast
Photo by History in HD on UnsplashOuter Banks
© Dariusz Jemielniak ("Pundit") · CC BY-SA 4.0Highway 1: San Francisco to Santa Monica
© Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego
Photo by Deon Hua on UnsplashLassen Volcanic loop: Burney Falls to the mud pots
© Prayitno / Thank you for (9 millions +) views from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0Volcanic Legacy Byway: Mount Shasta to Crater Lake
© Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0Yosemite end to end: sequoias, Glacier Point and Tioga Road
Photo by Royce Fonseca on UnsplashMammoth Lakes, June Lake Loop and the ghost town of Bodie
© Jeedew · CC BY-SA 3.0Highway 1 south: San Francisco to Santa Cruz and Monterey
© FrankBrueck · CC BY-SA 3.0Sonoma and Mendocino coast on Highway 1
Europe · 509 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
© Davide Papalini · CC BY-SA 3.0Riviera di Ponente: Genoa to the French border
Photo by Jean VIVIN on UnsplashLake Maggiore and Lake Orta
© Fabio Ingrosso from Italy · CC BY 2.0Bergamo, Lake Iseo and the Valcamonica rock art
Photo by Jordi Vich Navarro on UnsplashSardinia’s Orientale Sarda
© Marco Ober · CC BY-SA 4.0Brenta Dolomites and the Val di Non
© Aconcagua (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0Friuli: from the Adriatic lagoons to the Julian Alps
Photo by VJ Von Art on UnsplashPalladian villas and the Prosecco hills
Photo by Vincenzo De Simone on UnsplashPuglia: trulli, white towns and the heel of Italy
© Giorgio Galeotti · CC BY-SA 4.0Po Delta: lagoons, abbeys and Ferrara
Photo by Monika Sojčáková on UnsplashMontefeltro: Rimini to Urbino and Gradara
© Antonio Castagna from Teramo, Italy · CC BY 2.0Conero Riviera and the Frasassi caves
Photo by Hongbin on UnsplashRoute des Grandes Alpes: Lake Geneva to the Riviera
© 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
Photo by Harald Munter on UnsplashGreat Dolomite Road: Bolzano to Cortina
© 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
Photo by Patrick Pahlke on UnsplashLake Garda loop
© 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
Oceania · 63 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 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
Photo by Eugenie Lai on UnsplashRed gorges, ghost gums and starry skies – by camper along the Red Centre Way to Uluṟu
© Andrew Mercer (www.baldwhiteguy.co.nz) · CC BY-SA 3.0Sugar cane, the Coral Sea and cassowaries – up the Queensland coast by camper to Cape Tribulation
© Calistemon · CC BY-SA 4.0Limestone pillars, shell beaches and whale sharks – the Coral Coast by camper from Perth to Ningaloo
Photo by Sulthan Auliya on UnsplashKauri giants, treaty country and the end of the world – Northland's Twin Coast by campervan
© Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0Pōhutukawa, geysers and volcanic cones – by campervan through Coromandel, Rotorua and the Volcanic Plateau
© Mike Wilson mkwlsn · CC0Riesling slopes, copper towns and quartzite walls – by camper from Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges
Photo by Dan Freeman on UnsplashPelicans, lighthouses and rainforest – up the north coast of New South Wales to Byron Bay by camper
Photo by Bailey Cullen on UnsplashCrater lakes, strangler figs and lava tubes – by camper through the Atherton Tablelands into savannah country
© Ben Cordia · CC BY-SA 4.0Oyster bays, sea lions and the treeless horizon – by campervan across the Eyre Peninsula and the Nullarbor
Photo by Valentina Golubovic on UnsplashSapphires, dinosaurs and swagmen – by camper from the Tropic of Capricorn along the Matilda Way into outback Queensland
Photo by Nathan Hurst on UnsplashWheat, granite and a pipeline to the gold – by camper from the Perth Hills through the Wheatbelt to Kalgoorlie
Photo by Brisbane Local Marketing on UnsplashRainforest, granite and frosty nights – by camper through the Scenic Rim and Granite Belt
© Misaochan · CC BY-SA 3.0Glow-worms, surf bays and forest giants – by campervan through Waikato and the King Country
Photo by Shikhar Gupta on UnsplashFrosty mornings, gorge rims and granite circles – the New England Tablelands by camper
© Peter Firminger · CC BY 2.0Hunter Valley to Port Macquarie
Photo by Giri on UnsplashCoffs Harbour to Byron Bay: Rainforest and Lighthouse
Photo by Alice Duffield on UnsplashBunya pines, reservoirs and red earth – by camper through the Brisbane Valley to the Bunya Mountains and the South Burnett
FAQs
Where is it still warm in September?
Southern Europe is ideal: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia and Greece still have summery days and warm water, without the heat of high summer. In the US, the Southwest becomes pleasant again after the summer heat. In Australia spring begins, with mild days in the south and warm, dry weather in the tropical north.
Is September a good time for a motorhome trip?
Yes, one of the best. Campgrounds are quieter, often cheaper after the high season, and the weather is usually settled. The days are getting shorter, though, so plan shorter driving stages. In the mountains and in Scandinavia, nights get cold and the season ends earlier, so check opening dates in advance.
How are the routes for September chosen?
Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 889 routes are rated “good” in September. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.