Northeast - Rail Trail in Maryland
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cjscott
09-22-06, 07:31 PM
I'm looking for a nice scenic paved trail in MD possibly Virginia beach does anyone have any recommendations ?
I've been considering the B&A Trail,the Western Maryland Trail,so far
Thanks Scott
cc_rider
09-22-06, 08:01 PM
Does it need to be paved?
Capitol Crescent from Georgetown to Bethesda, then combine it with the Rock Creek Trail / Beach Drive back to Georgetown. 21 mile loop. Popular, so it can get crowded.
Or Rock Creek Trail / Beach Drive from end to end. 50ish miles from Georgetown to Rockville. The upper trail is less trafficked and Lake Needwood makes a nice turnaround.
One of my favorites is the North Central / York Heritage Trail. Timmonium to York. Not paved but in good shape.
The Maryland section above Whitehall is very remote and quiet. The PA section still has the train tracks (mostly inactive) and goes thru several towns.
On the VA side, W&OD, Alexandria to Purcellville. 90 mile r/t.
Or Mount Vernon Trail along the river. 38 mile r/t.
This might help http://bikewashington.org/trails/rtrails.htm
cjscott
09-22-06, 08:44 PM
I'll look into those trails,
paved would be better for me I have a recumbent with 1.25 road tires,wife has a recumbent with hookworm tires (trail) ,a crushed gravel or stone trail could be ridden if it is well packed.
Thanks Scott
The B&A trail is ~26 miles round trip or ~42 miles round trip if you combine it with the BWI trail. Both are paved and, given the onset of the fall season, should be uncrowded.
As a regular rider of the trail, however, I should warn you that there are a number of road crossings with limited lines of sight, so be careful.
staehpj1
09-23-06, 08:20 AM
I usually prefer to ride on the road, but have ridden on a few of the rail trails when I wanted a flat ride. My take on the ones I have done...
The Western Maryland Rail Trail is especially nice, very pretty in the Fall and not too many road crossings. It runs right next to the C&O towpath so if you have the desire to ride on fairly smooth dirt you can combine some of the towpath into part of you ride.
The B&A is nice except the road crossings are a bit of a pain. If you don't mind riding on the road you can extend the trip into Annapolis.
The North Central Railroad and York Heritage Trails are nice but the surface is a bit rough if you are riding on really skinny tires. I have ridden it on 700x23 tires and the rough ride was ok but a little tough on the butt. You can combine the two trails and the round trip makes for about an 84 mile ride.
Pete
cc_rider
09-23-06, 09:23 AM
paved would be better for me I have a recumbent with 1.25 road tires,wife has a recumbent with hookworm tires (trail) ,a crushed gravel or stone trail could be ridden if it is well packed.
North Central is probably fine for what you have. Mostly well packed. Better than the C&O. I've seen bents on it many times.
I usually park at Whitehall and ride to York and back, then do as much of the southern trail section as I feel like / have time for.
There's also the Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore. http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/