Best Road Trips in November: 10 Drives Around the World

The best road trips in November chase the dry season south and into the tropics: Australia's coast opening for summer, the red rock of the American Southwest cooled to its clearest, and the monsoon gone from Kerala, the Yucatán, and northern Thailand. November is the hinge of the travel year. The alpine passes up north are closing for winter, so the good driving swings to the Southern Hemisphere, the deserts, and the tropics just as they dry out and warm up.

This is a ranked guide to ten drives from our catalog, each with real distances, durations, and seasons, and each at or near its best in November. Several of them hug a coast, so for more ocean roads see the scenic coastal drives hub. For why the shoulder months often beat high summer, read shoulder season road trips.

The 10 best November road trips at a glance

1. Great Ocean Road

November opens the Australian summer, and the Great Ocean Road is the drive to spend it on. From Torquay the road threads the surf coast past Lorne to Apollo Bay, climbs into the Otways rainforest, then meets the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles off Port Campbell. This extended version starts in Melbourne and carries on past Allansford through Port Fairy to Portland, 660 km over three unhurried days. Crowds build toward the December school holidays, so the first half of November gives you warm, settled weather with the overlooks still quiet. Read the Great Ocean Road guide.

2. Southern Utah Parks Traverse

The desert Southwest runs too hot in summer and too cold in deep winter, which leaves a short autumn window that holds through November at lower elevations. This 740 km traverse links all five of Utah's national parks, from the Virgin River narrows of Zion and the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon to the cliffs of Capitol Reef and the red rock of Arches and Canyonlands, then finishes among the buttes of Monument Valley. Give it seven to nine days, ride Zion's seasonal shuttle, and enter the Angels Landing lottery in advance if you want the chained section. Read the Southern Utah guide.

3. Milford Sound

Milford Sound sits at the end of a long dead-end road, and the New Zealand summer reopens it in November, when the snowmelt keeps the waterfalls at full force. From Te Anau the only road in follows the lake, crosses the Eglinton Valley past the Mirror Lakes, climbs to the Divide, and drops through the 1.2 km Homer Tunnel into the fiord, 240 km there and back. Do it over two days, book a cruise on the sound, and check the Milford Road status the same morning, since avalanche and rockfall can still shut it. Read the Milford Sound guide.

4. Carretera Austral

The Carretera Austral only makes sense in the southern summer, and November is when it starts. Chile's Ruta 7 runs 1,240 km of mostly gravel from Puerto Montt deep into the fjords and temperate rainforest, past the Chaitén volcano, the hanging glacier at Queulat, the marble caves at Capillas de Mármol, and the stilt village of Caleta Tortel before it ends at Villa O'Higgins. Budget twelve to fourteen days, take an SUV, and reserve the Hornopirén vehicle ferries before you lose signal, since the road depends on them. Read the Carretera Austral guide.

5. Overseas Highway

The Florida Keys settle into their dry, warm winter in November, as the Atlantic hurricane season winds down, which is why the touring season runs from now to April. US-1 crosses 42 bridges and 230 km of turquoise water from Key Largo through Islamorada and the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West, with the beach at Bahia Honda about two thirds of the way down. You can drive it in a day, but a night in the middle Keys turns it into a proper trip. Read the Overseas Highway guide.

6. Mae Hong Son Loop

Northern Thailand's cool, dry season runs from November to January, before the February-to-April burning season fouls the mountain air, so now is the time for the Mae Hong Son Loop. The 650 km circuit climbs out of Chiang Mai through Pai and the caves at Pang Mapha to the tea-growing border village of Ban Rak Thai, then comes back down through Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang on a road that rarely runs straight. Six days leaves room for the Tham Lod cave and the morning mist without rushing the switchbacks, which are hard work in the wet. Read the Mae Hong Son Loop guide.

7. Yucatán Peninsula Loop

The Yucatán dries out in November, which opens the season for a loop through the densest Maya country in Mexico. From Mérida the 1,200 km circuit takes in the pyramids of Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, the walled port of Campeche, the freshwater lagoon at Bacalar, and the Caribbean coast at Tulum before it cuts back inland through Valladolid, with cenotes to swim along the way. Nine or ten days covers it without hurrying, and early November clears both the summer heat and the December price surge. Read the Yucatán Peninsula Loop guide.

8. Kerala and Western Ghats

By November the southwest monsoon has cleared Kerala, leaving the Western Ghats green and the backwaters full without the rain. This 550 km route starts in Fort Kochi, climbs to the tea estates of Munnar and the Periyar reserve at Thekkady, then drops to a houseboat night on the Alappuzha backwaters before finishing on the coast at Kollam and the cliffs of Varkala. Eight days is a comfortable pace on mountain roads that stay steep and winding, so keep the driving to daylight. Read the Kerala guide.

9. Salar de Uyuni Circuit

November is the last reliably dry month on the Salar de Uyuni before the summer rains flood the flat, so the crust stays hard enough to drive. The three-day circuit crosses the 10,582 km² salt pan past Incahuasi Island, then climbs into the Altiplano to the flamingo-pink Laguna Colorada, the Sol de Mañana geysers near 5,000 m, and Laguna Verde below Licancabur, about 900 km to the Hito Cajón border. Go with a reputable operator in a 4WD, and plan hard for the altitude. Read the Salar de Uyuni guide.

10. Across the High Atlas

Autumn is the last clear run over the Moroccan High Atlas before snow reaches the passes, and November usually still holds. The 830 km drive leaves Marrakech over the 2,260 m Tizi n'Tichka, past the mud-brick kasbah of Ait Benhaddou and the film studios at Ouarzazate, down the palm-lined Draa Valley and through the Todra Gorge, and ends at the Erg Chebbi dunes outside Merzouga. Give it five or six days, and check the Tizi n'Tichka weather the morning you cross, because an early storm can close it. Read the High Atlas guide.

If you only do one

Drive the Great Ocean Road. It asks the least of you, an easy three days on sealed road from a major airport, and it hands back surf beaches, rainforest, and the Twelve Apostles in a single run, with November's warm, settled weather ahead of the summer crowds. Start in Melbourne in the first half of the month and the overlooks are mostly yours.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to drive in November?

For most travelers, Australia's Great Ocean Road, which opens the southern summer with warm weather and quiet overlooks before the December crowds. If you would rather stay in the Northern Hemisphere, southern Utah's five national parks cool to their clearest light through the month.

Is November a good time for a road trip?

Yes, as long as you follow the season. The northern mountain routes are closing for winter, but the Southern Hemisphere, the deserts, and the tropics from Mexico to Thailand are drying out and coming into their best driving months.

Which road trips are dry in November?

The Yucatán, the Florida Keys, northern Thailand, and Kerala all sit in their dry season in November, and the Salar de Uyuni holds its last dry month before the rains. Patagonia's Carretera Austral is milder and drier now than in the depths of the southern winter.

Can you road trip in the Southern Hemisphere in November?

Yes. November is spring turning to summer below the equator, so Australia's Great Ocean Road, New Zealand's Milford Sound road, and Chile's Carretera Austral all open their main touring season this month.

Are mountain passes still open in November?

Some are closing. The road into Milford Sound opens for the New Zealand summer, but Morocco's Tizi n'Tichka can take its first snow late in the month, and the high desert roads in Utah and Bolivia run cold. Check the pass status the morning you drive.

Plan your November drive

Compare these drives side by side on the interactive map, then open the Great Ocean Road guide to start with November's surest bet.