Why this ride
313 km one way from Queenstown - plan on about 9 h 11 of riding. The climb of the day is near Cromwell. It tops out at about 1,100 m. Long stretches are under trees.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Milford Road Expedition · part 3
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 313 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 11
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Crown Range Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 48 km this is Crown Range Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 48 km
- Named road
- Crown Range Road
- Pass
- Crown Range Summit
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Near Queenstown
South of Queenstown, the road to Kingston follows the eastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, squeezed between deep, cold water and the jagged wall of the Remarkables. In winter they are white to their bases; in summer the bare rock glows gold and grey in the evening light.
Read the complete Near Queenstown write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Milford Road Expedition checkpoint 8 is where the day begins. Next is High point near Cromwell.
2. High point near Cromwell
Cromwell sits where two of Central Otago's big rivers used to meet, and these days the meeting happens under water. When the Clyde Dam was finished in the early 1990s, the rising Lake Dunstan swallowed the old town centre and much of the gorge, and what survived of the gold-era main street was rebuilt as a heritage precinct on the new lakeshore. It is worth the short detour: schist cottages, a bakery or two, and the eerie knowledge that the original riverbank is somewhere below the boats.
Read the complete Fuel stop near Cromwell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Scenic stretch near Cromwell.
3. Scenic stretch near Cromwell
Cromwell sits where two of Central Otago's big rivers used to meet, and these days the meeting happens under water. When the Clyde Dam was finished in the early 1990s, the rising Lake Dunstan swallowed the old town centre and much of the gorge, and what survived of the gold-era main street was rebuilt as a heritage precinct on the new lakeshore. It is worth the short detour: schist cottages, a bakery or two, and the eerie knowledge that the original riverbank is somewhere below the boats.
Read the complete Fuel stop near Cromwell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
97 km in you reach Scenic stretch near Cromwell. Next is Back to Milford Road.
4. Back to Milford Road
This stretch of road is the Crown Range, and if the ride is called the Milford Road, it is because this is the way you leave Queenstown's orbit and swing back toward the lakes. It is the highest paved main road in New Zealand, topping out at around 1,076 metres, linking the Wakatipu basin to Cardrona and Wanaka by a route that looks improbable on a map and feels even more improbable once you are on it.
Read the complete Milford Road write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back to Milford Road closes the day.
Leg by leg
High point near Cromwell to Scenic stretch near Cromwell
High point near Cromwell → Scenic stretch near Cromwell is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Cromwell to Back to Milford Road
Scenic stretch near Cromwell → Back to Milford Road is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
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