The Best National Parks to Visit in November — Ranked by Data

• Acadia: November at Acadia is after the Cadillac Summit Road reservation season, which ended on October 25 in 2026, so the drive up Cadillac Mountain needs no vehicle reservation. When the season returns in late May, each car needs a $6 reservation from Recreation.gov, one sunrise slot per vehicle every seven days or one daytime slot per day, and reservations do not allow re-entry.
• Arches: Two things at Arches need booking in November as in any month: Devils Garden Campground and every Fiery Furnace hike, self-guided or ranger-led. The park service says campsites in peak season can be reserved up to six months ahead.
• Badlands: November at Badlands means winter driving can begin. The park service says roads through the park may close in winter or during extreme weather, and that winter roads can be slick and icy, so check road conditions for your route before leaving.
• Big Bend: November is the month Big Bend starts selling out. From November through April the park service says the Chisos Mountains Lodge and all developed campgrounds are full every night, and Thanksgiving week is one of its named busiest periods.
• Biscayne: Hurricane season ends on November 30, and late November opens the busiest part of the year at the visitor center, which lasts until the end of April. Biscayne charges no entrance fee.
• Bryce Canyon: By November, Bryce Canyon is in its quiet months: the park shuttle stopped on October 20 and Sunset Campground closed in October, leaving North Campground, which is open year-round. Entry needs no advance reservation.
• Canyonlands: November is when Canyonlands' visitor centers shift to winter hours. In the park service's current schedule, Island in the Sky is open 8 am to 4 pm through November 29 (closing at 1 pm on Thanksgiving), then 9 am to 4 pm from November 30, and The Needles visitor center stays open until December 6 before closing for the winter.
• Capitol Reef: November is the last month of the Gifford House Store and Museum's season at Capitol Reef: it is open daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from March 14 until late November. The park and its campgrounds stay open through the winter, and the visitor center is open daily except some major holidays.
• Carlsbad Caverns: November at Carlsbad Caverns comes after bat season (the colony is in the cavern from April through October), so the visit is all underground. A timed entry ticket is required; book the entry time ahead and pay at the visitor center, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Channel Islands: November falls between the calm fall seas and the winter storms. The water is cooling from its autumn high, and Santa Ana or east winds remain a risk; the kayaking page adds that forty-knot winds are not unusual around Santa Rosa and San Miguel.
• Congaree: In November, Congaree's flooding and its neighbours both matter. The park lies in the Congaree River floodplain, which floods about ten times a year, and with nearly 80% of the park in it, floods can shut backcountry trails and parts of the boardwalk; check the Cedar Creek and Congaree River gauges before you go.
• Crater Lake: November is when Crater Lake shuts its high roads for the year. Rim Drive and the North Entrance Road close to cars by November 1 at the latest, and earlier if a big storm arrives first.
• Cuyahoga Valley: Cuyahoga Valley is open every day of the year, but in November's short days the dusk closures matter more. The park service closes several popular spots from dusk until the morning opening: Brandywine Falls, the Ledges, the Octagon, Kendall Lake, the Happy Days south parking area and the Kendall Hills area on Quick Road.
• Denali: November is Denali in winter mode. The park service says that in winter only the Winter Visitor Center and Riley Creek Campground are open; Riley Creek, a quarter mile in, takes RVs and tents all year and charges fees only in summer.
• Death Valley: November falls inside Death Valley's reservation season for Furnace Creek Campground, which the park service runs from October 15 to April 15. Furnace Creek is the only park campground you can book; every other park campground is first-come, first-served when it is open, and the park notes that many of them are seasonal, so check the specific campground before you count on it.
• Dry Tortugas: Thinking of camping at Dry Tortugas in November? Garden Key has eight regular sites, each for up to six people in three two-person tents, all first-come, first-served; only the group site (10 to 20 people) can be reserved.
• Everglades: November is the Everglades' changeover month, ending the wet season and opening the dry one, which the park calls among the most popular times to visit because temperatures drop, mosquitoes ease and wildlife becomes abundant. Some facilities are not fully open in the wet months, so check what is operating before you drive to Flamingo, Shark Valley, Royal Palm or the Gulf Coast.
• Gates of the Arctic: November in Gates of the Arctic is deep sub-arctic cold on the south side of the Brooks Range, with winter temperatures generally ranging from 0 to -50°F. Winter visits are possible, and skis and snowmobiles are allowed when there is enough snow, but the park warns conditions can be extreme.
• Gateway Arch: November can be busy at the Gateway Arch because of group tours, and the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the whole year, so book tram tickets ahead and arrive early. The park itself is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
• Glacier: By November Glacier is down to its winter footprint. The park says the Many Glacier Road closes on the third weekend of November, weather permitting, and Two Medicine Road shuts once snow builds up, so the east side gets hard to reach as the month goes on.
• Glacier Bay: November at Glacier Bay is off-season, with limited services, cold short days and a maritime climate that keeps winter nights mostly between 25 and 40°F at sea level. To the northwest, Glacier Bay National Preserve is managed differently from the park, and hunting, trapping and commercial fishing are allowed there.
• Great Basin: November at Great Basin is the slide into winter quiet. Lehman Caves tours keep running, but not on Thanksgiving Day, and each tour takes at most 20 people and often sells out, so reserve on Recreation.gov.
• Grand Canyon: November is the North Rim's last month of the year: the park service keeps it open through November 30, or until the first major snowstorm if that comes sooner. Plan it as a day trip with a full tank, since the rim has no fuel, its campground and General Store are closed for 2026, and lodging is outside the park.
• Great Sand Dunes: November at Great Sand Dunes is a day-trip month. Piñon Flats Campground has closed for the season (it opens again in April), and the park service does not allow vehicle camping in the park or preserve from November through March.
• Great Smoky Mountains: November closes the Smokies' fall colour season, which the park dates from September to mid-November. Early November highs fall into the 50s and 60s°F, nights are usually near freezing, and snow becomes possible at higher elevations.
• Grand Teton: November in Grand Teton is after the season. On the park's 2026 schedule the Teton Park Road closed to cars for the winter on October 31, the same day the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center closed, and every listed campground had shut by mid-October.
• Guadalupe Mountains: Early November is the tail of Guadalupe Mountains' fall color: the park service puts the best viewing in the last week of October and the first week of November, with Upper Dog Canyon on the north side turning a week or two before McKittrick Canyon. McKittrick is day-use only, its parking is limited and it often fills on color weekends, and access closes at 5 p.m.
• Haleakalā: November opens the summit's rainy season, which lasts through March, so plan for wet, windy mornings and look at the crater webcam before setting out. Holiday travelers should know that early-January sunrise slots start going on sale this month, because Recreation.gov releases them 60 days ahead at 7:00 AM Hawaiʻi time.
• Hot Springs: Hot Springs in November: the bathhouses on Bathhouse Row are run by separate businesses that set their own hours, so check each before you go. The Lamar Bathhouse Emporium, which is the park bookstore, opens every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Indiana Dunes: November 1 is the last day of Dunewood Campground's season at Indiana Dunes, so from then until April 1 there is no camping there. The beaches stay open year-round on their posted hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. for most areas, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at West Beach and Porter Beach, and round the clock at Kemil Beach.
• Joshua Tree: November falls in Joshua Tree's long camping season: the park service says every campground in the park is usually full on weekends from September through May. Black Rock, Cottonwood, Indian Cove, Jumbo Rocks and Ryan can be reserved on recreation.gov up to six months ahead, and the park strongly suggests booking for any holiday or weekend.
• Kenai Fjords: November at Kenai Fjords is the start of the long winter. Herman Leirer Road is unmaintained and closed to cars behind a state gate, so the park points winter visitors to recreational ways in, such as cross-country skis, fat-tire bikes and snowmobiles.
• Kings Canyon: November starts Kings Canyon's chain season in earnest. Sequoia and Kings Canyon share one set of park roads and rules, and the park service says chains or cables are most often required from November through March.
• Kobuk Valley: November turns Kobuk Valley toward winter travel only: aircraft, snowmobiles or travel on foot. The park's Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, barchan dunes about 200 feet high, were shaped by strong easterly winds blowing sand left behind between two early Pleistocene glaciations.
• Lake Clark: November is when Lake Clark typically starts freezing, the park says, and from then on, ice conditions decide whether planes on floats or skis can land. Port Alsworth, in the interior, averages lows near 1°F by January, and the record is -55°F.
• Lassen Volcanic: November at Lassen Volcanic is the end of the park service's suggested fall window (late September to November). The Loomis Museum is closed for the winter, and the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center opens Friday to Sunday and on holidays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closing on Thanksgiving Day.
• Mammoth Cave: November at Mammoth Cave splits in two. Through November 14 the 2026 schedule still runs the Historic Tour five times a day (plus a 1:30 slot Friday to Sunday), the Extended Historic, Gothic Avenue and a 2:00 Violet City Lantern Tour.
• Mesa Verde: November is a reduced month at Mesa Verde. The park service says the cliff dwelling tours end in mid to late October, Wetherill Mesa is closed for the season until late spring 2027, and the museum has been closed for renovations since October 25, 2026.
• Mount Rainier: From late October Mount Rainier runs on its winter schedule. The park service says winter vehicle access is only through the Nisqually Entrance, and the Henry M.
• New River Gorge: November cuts New River Gorge down to its two year-round visitor centers. On the park's posted schedule, Canyon Rim and Sandstone are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, while Thurmond Depot and Grandview close from November through May.
• Olympic: Plan November at Olympic around road closures. The park service says some roads, campgrounds and facilities close or cut their hours from October through May, and its road page (updated November 3, 2026) lists Hurricane Ridge, Obstruction Point and Deer Park roads as closed, while Sol Duc, Upper Hoh and Staircase roads are open.
• Petrified Forest: Petrified Forest is open every day of the year except two, and one of them falls in November: the park service closes the whole park on Thanksgiving Day, and again on Christmas. Plan your drive along the park road for another day that week.
• Pinnacles: Pinnacles in November: the east side is open for trails around the clock and has the park's only campground, booked through recreation.gov, while the west side gate opens 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for day use. The park service says it gets extremely high visitation on weekends, holidays and good-weather days, with delays most likely from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so Thanksgiving weekend is a day to arrive before 8 a.m. for the popular trails.
• Redwood: November at Redwood falls inside the creek-side camping closure: the park service shuts dispersed camping along Redwood Creek from October 15 to April 1 for high water. Rain also makes the two stream crossings on Davison Road, the way to Fern Canyon, harder; a high-clearance car is recommended.
• Rocky Mountain: By November, Rocky Mountain's timed-entry season is over: in 2026 the general timed entry ended on October 12 and the Bear Lake Road Timed Entry+ on October 18, so you can drive in without a reservation, though a park entrance pass is still required. The park's reservation system runs again from late May; in 2026 its first window, for May 22 to June 30, opened on Recreation.gov on May 1.
• Saguaro: By November Saguaro is moving into its winter season, when the park expects daytime highs from the low 50s to the high 70s. In the west district, Golden Gate Road is permanently closed to cars between the Sendero Esperanza trailhead and Picture Rocks Road and is now a multi-use trail for hikers, bikes and horses.
• Sequoia: November is when Sequoia's chain season gets serious: the park service says chain requirements can come at any time from fall through spring but are most common November through March. Every vehicle in a chain control zone, four-wheel and all-wheel drive included, must carry chains or cables, and the speed limit drops to 25 mph while controls are on.
• Shenandoah: November is when Shenandoah closes for the season, a few services at a time. On the park's 2026 schedule, Mathews Arm and Loft Mountain campgrounds close November 1, Skyland, Elkwallow Wayside and the Lewis Mountain cabins and campstore on November 8, Lewis Mountain Campground on November 22, and Big Meadows Lodge, Wayside and Campground (reservation only) on November 29.
• Virgin Islands: On St. John in November, the Cruz Bay Visitor Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day; otherwise it opens at 8:15 a.m.
• Voyageurs: November is freeze-up month at Voyageurs: the park says its lakes typically begin to freeze in November. The hazard buoys and most navigation markers are gone by then, and the park asks anyone still on the water to use caution without them; before venturing onto new ice, read the most recent trails report.
• White Sands: Two things to plan around at White Sands in November. The park is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so Thanksgiving Thursday is out.
• Wind Cave: November 1 starts Wind Cave's winter tour schedule, which in 2026 runs to April 24: the Fairgrounds Tour goes once a day and the Garden of Eden Tour twice, so plan around fewer departures. The visitor center stays open daily, and tours can still sell out on holiday weekends.
• Yellowstone: November in Yellowstone falls between seasons: on the 2027 schedule most park roads are open to regular vehicles only until October 31, and the park service says most roads stay closed to them from early November to late April, and the oversnow season, on the projected schedule from December 15 on the Mammoth to Norris road, has not started. The only road open to regular vehicles is the one from the North Entrance at Gardiner to the Northeast Entrance.
• Yosemite: November usually closes Yosemite's high roads: Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road shut for snow from sometime this month, and Mariposa Grove Road and its shuttle close on or about November 30. With Tioga closed you cannot enter from the east, but the Highway 41, 140, Big Oak Flat and Hetch Hetchy entrances stay open all year.
• Zion: November is the last month of Zion's daily shuttle season, which the park service runs from March through November. While the shuttle runs, you cannot drive your own car up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive; you ride the shuttle in, and the park's lots often fill early, so many visitors park in Springdale and take the free Springdale Line.

Each park's November page carries the full note and the NPS page it comes from.

Gateway Arch National Park scores highest for November (75/100): crowds at 22% of its peak, average highs of 55°F and 10.1 hours of daylight. Great Basin and Badlands come next.

Compared with each park's own busiest month, the quietest in November are North Cascades (1% of peak), Voyageurs (5% of peak) and Theodore Roosevelt (7% of peak). This leaves out parks in their harsh season or with main access typically closed. The least-crowded ranking covers every month.

The warmest by average high are American Samoa (87°F), Virgin Islands (87°F) and Everglades (83°F), from NOAA 1991–2020 normals at each park's nearest weather station.

Denali (harsh conditions), Kobuk Valley (harsh conditions), Katmai (main access typically closed), Yellowstone (main access typically closed) and Glacier (main access typically closed) sit at the bottom of the November ranking. Each park's November page shows the numbers behind that, starting with Denali in November.

Each park gets a score out of 100 for November: 45% weather comfort (NOAA 1991–2020 normals), 35% quietness (NPS visits, 2021–2025 average) and 20% daylight. Parks whose main access is typically closed lose points and are never marked as a best month. The same formula is used for every park.