Touring - Help with DC area logistics

Hello,

My wife and I are going to ride the C&O canal from Cumberland, MD to Washington CD.

I was going to then ride the Capital Cresent trail to Bethesda.

Does anyone know a good rendevous point in Bethesda that is close to the Capital Cresent trail and with easy access to I-495?

I am looking for a parking lot or somewhere that I can meet my sister and load our bikes and gear that will be easy for her to find coming off of I-495. Thanks for your help.

check bikewashington.org. They have alot of trail routes. Somebody on here will eventually weigh in

The easiest spot would be the large public parking lot adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail at the intersection of Bethesda Ave. & Woodmont Ave. It's across the street from a Barnes & Noble bookstore. It's also where the paved portion of the CC Trail essentially ends. The Barnes & Noble address (for mapquest purposes) is 4801 Bethesda Ave.

If your sister is coming from the north, she should exit 495 at Connecticut Ave. (route 185) south toward DC. Go about 1 mile, then turn right on route 410, East-West Hwy. Go about 3/4 mile and turn left on route 355, Wisconsin Ave. Go about 4 blocks and turn right onto Bethesda Ave. Go 1 block and turn left onto Woodmont Ave, then turn right into the parking lot. (Getting off 495 at Connecticut Ave. is several miles shorter and several minutes faster than exiting 495 at Wisconsin Ave.)

If your sister is coming from the south, she should exit 495 at Old Georgetown Rd. (route 187), going south to Bethesda. Go about 3 miles, then turn right onto Woodmont Ave. Go about 5 blocks and turn into the parking lot immediately after she crosses Bethesda Ave.

The Capital Crescent Trail and the C&O Canal towpath first meet at a spot called Fletchers Boathouse, shortly after you enter DC from Maryland, but about 3 miles before the towpath ends in Georgetown. The 2 trails continue parallel to one another but just a few feet apart, until the CC Trail ends where it hits K St.

^^^
If the parking lot at the trail head is full, there are other parking garages nearby. The public garages are less expensive than the private ones, and most are free on weekends (garages, not the meters)
There is also street meter parking, but it's catch-as-catch-can.

As a place to wait, the fountain plaza in front of B&N is a good spot. If necessary, you can lock up at the bike racks and kill some time in the bookstore. Also a good bagel shop a few doors down from the B&N, almost opposite the trailhead.

You can switch from the C&O to the CCT at Fletcher's. The trail connection is hard to miss. There's a ramp and two flat connections.
But if you want the "glory" of completing the entire C&O, you need to pass Fletcher's and keep going to Georgetown. There have been some changes to the bridges in Georgetown, so I don't know what is the current path. You'll need to cross to the tow path on the other side (north), and starting at Wisconsin Ave is will cross the city streets instead of going under them. The surface changes to brick, and where the brick ends at an asphalt path (Rock Creek Trail), you've finished the entire thing.
If you backtrack to any of the streets you crossed turn left and head down hill to K Street (under the elevated highway). Turn right on K and keep going. The street goes thru a big stone arch, narrows and turns into the Capital Crescent. Straight for 9 miles and you're in Bethesda.

What day are you coming thru?

Parking along the trail:

http://www.cctrail.org/CCT_Directions.htm#parking

In general, the website might help.

And #31 (blue) is the parking lot right next to the trail. The CCT goes along the south-west triangle in that map directly to the parking lot:

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dpktmpl.asp?url=/content/dpwt/operations/parking/bethesda/bethesda-lot-map.asp

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much, all of you. This was the exact information that I was looking for. It is seriously appreciated.