Is it worth the trip?
65Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: Rain before today is not known, Rain 6.7 mm in the last two days, Air 19 °C
Mon 2 · 68 out of 100
- Trail
- Unknown
- Rain 2 days
- 0.5 mm
- Rain
- 1.1 mm
- Air
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 6.5 mm
- Rain
- 0.6 mm
- Air
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 86 out of 100
- Trail
- Unknown
- Rain 2 days
- 6.7 mm
- Rain
- 0 mm
- Air
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 8.1 mm
- Rain
- 0.7 mm
- Air
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 9 mm
- Rain
- 9.6 mm
- Air
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 34 out of 100
- Trail
- Muddy
- Rain 2 days
- 46.3 mm
- Rain
- 19.8 mm
- Air
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 61 out of 100
- Trail
- Slick
- Rain 2 days
- 65.7 mm
- Rain
- 1.2 mm
- Air
- 18°C
Tap a day for the trail, the rain and the air. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 169, good
- Mon 268, good
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 486, good
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 734, poor
- Sun 861, good
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1040, poor
The spot in two facts
- 1 routemapped within 10 km
- Best Jan–Feb5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov* | 69, good | Unknown | – | 0 mm | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov* | 68, good | Unknown | 0.5 mm | 1.1 mm | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | Slick | 6.5 mm | 0.6 mm | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov* | 86, good | Unknown | 6.7 mm | 0 mm | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | Slick | 8.1 mm | 0.7 mm | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | Slick | 9 mm | 9.6 mm | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 34, poor | Muddy | 46.3 mm | 19.8 mm | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 61, good | Slick | 65.7 mm | 1.2 mm | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | Slick | 22.8 mm | 12.6 mm | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, poor | Muddy | 44.4 mm | 7.2 mm | 17°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 Jan–Feb
Good mountain biking days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Million Dollar Loop 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Million Dollar Loop
1 mountain bike route mapped. Best from Dec to Mar. The nearest town to stay in is New Plymouth.
- Routes 1 mountain bike route 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$1,780–US$3,420 each
about US$1,780–US$3,420 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 NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$837–US$1,740 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$569 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Bike hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$275–US$502 |
| Total | about US$1,780–US$3,420 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: New Plymouth
12 min by car · 45 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About New Plymouth its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$127 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 55m
About 28h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → NPL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.