Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Unknown
- Rain 2 days
- 25.4 mm
- Rain
- 1.1 mm
- Air
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 45 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 26.5 mm
- Rain
- 12.5 mm
- Air
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 15.5 mm
- Rain
- 0.8 mm
- Air
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 100 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 15.2 mm
- Rain
- 0 mm
- Air
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 13.1 mm
- Rain
- 1.5 mm
- Air
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 14.1 mm
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
- Air
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 100 out of 100
- Trail
- Tacky
- Rain 2 days
- 2.1 mm
- Rain
- 0 mm
- Air
- 20°C
Tap a day for the trail, the rain and the air. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 445, fair
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 6100, good
- Sat 761, good
- Sun 861, good
- Mon 9100, good
- Tue 10100, good
- Wed 11100, good
The spot in two facts
- 8 routesmapped within 10 km
- Best Dec–Mar6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know trail closures, fallen trees or your skill.
| Day | Score | Trail | Rain 2 days | Rain | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov* | 58, fair | Unknown | – | 5.4 mm | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov* | 61, good | Unknown | 25.4 mm | 1.1 mm | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 45, fair | Slick | 26.5 mm | 12.5 mm | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | Slick | 15.5 mm | 0.8 mm | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 100, good | Slick | 15.2 mm | 0 mm | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 61, good | Slick | 13.1 mm | 1.5 mm | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 61, good | Slick | 14.1 mm | 0.3 mm | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 100, good | Tacky | 2.1 mm | 0 mm | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 100, good | Tacky | 0.3 mm | 0 mm | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 100, good | Tacky | 0 mm | 0.6 mm | 23°C |
* Rain before today is not known: the forecast starts today, so these days are scored from a dry start and a wet one.
Trail is the soil that morning, from the rain before; rain in mm, air in °C. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Dec–Mar
Good mountain biking days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast.
Map
the area and its town
MarsBen trail on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More mountain biking near here
1 place
- Hans Loop 17.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About MarsBen trail
8 mountain bike routes mapped. Best from Sep to May. The nearest town to stay in is Fawkner.
- Routes 8 mountain bike routes mapped.
From OpenStreetMap: the mountain bike routes mapped within 10 km.
Bike routes and parks: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$2,020–US$3,880 each
about US$2,020–US$3,880 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, bike hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$2,000 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$362–US$603 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Bike hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$288–US$529 |
| Total | about US$2,020–US$3,880 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Fawkner
53 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Fawkner its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 50m
About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.