Northeast - Arlington/North VA rides

Hi,

I'm new to the country/area/sport.

I've done several rides up and down the MUPs and I'm ready to hit the roads and play traffic lottery. Could someone suggest some good roads/routes. Preferably starting in Arlington (Ballston)?

I've looked at websites and maps but they don't give you much sense of traffic and accessibility.

Also if anyone does any group rides suitable for a beginner then please let me know.

Many thanks,

Tom

Potomac Pedalers is a good local club http://www.bikepptc.org/
Lots of rides all over the DC area. Beginner level are the D rides, although the C rides will work too.

Good website for local routes http://bikewashington.org/

Where to start....
A lot of the Arlington roads are very bikeable, although some can get hilly.
Thru Central Arlington use W&OD or the Wilson Blvd corridor (Wilson from Rosslyn to Clarendon, Fairfax Drive from Clarendon to Glebe, Wilson west from Glebe.)
Quincy, Patrick Henry or Ohio St are good crossing for I-66
W&OD to West St (back into Arlington), turns into Williamsburg and takes you up to Chain Bridge, or ride back on Military Rd. Or try Yorktown.
From Arlington into Mclean, take Chesterbrook Rd and Kirby Rd into Falls Church, and continue across route 7 and up the big hill on Idylwood.
If you want a really good hill, take the the W&OD to Walter Reed... and go up. Take it back to route 50.

Too many good roads to list.
PM me if you want to talk details about biking this area. I've been riding these roads since I moved here in '79.

added - The trick to Arlington is that the neighborhood are broken up and isolated by streams or major roads (like I-66 or route 50.) I you learn the bike-safe thru streets, you can get anywhere.

cc_rider, I just moved to Lake Barcroft. Do you know a good route to get from Lake Barcroft/Sleep Hollow to the W&OD? Or is there another bike path around?

Barcroft to W&OD - You have a couple of good ways.
Closest is to take Beachway and Blair to Glen Carlynn Dr. Cross route 7 onto Glen Carlyn Rd. Cross Carlyn Springs onto 5th St. There are a couple of ways down to Four Mile Run and the W&OD. Jefferson St (I think) takes you to Long Branch and the gravel road leads down to 4MR, then cross the creek to the W&OD. I usually go thru there from east to west, so I'm not sure of the other connections.

Alternate is to go west, but you go thru several neighborhoods and it's a bit hilly. Waterway, Dearborn, Sleepy Hollow, Valleybrooke, Rose, Hickory Hill, Graham Rd, Camp Alger, Holly Hill, Marc and Jaguar Trail. Cross route 50 and right on the service road. First left on Cedar Hill, right Woodberry, left Pine Springs, left at T on Meadow View. Cross over Lee Highway, the light at the corner of the cemetery (the big green park-like field) is Hollywood. Go around behind the cemetery to the T at West St. Left and right on Fairwood. Right on Shreve and the W&OD is just past the school, around mile 8.

You can also get to Alexandria from Barcroft. Beachway, Blair, Lake, Tyler, Washington. Cross Columbia Pike on Maple and after a ways go left on Dawes Ave. (another block and right on Filmore takes you around the Alexandria trail the other way). On Dawes, cross Seminary Rd, past the Coke Bottling plant to NOVA. Past the parking garage take the road on the right. Down the hill, cross Beauregard at the light, and straight onto Braddock Rd. You can take Braddock almost all the way into Old Town.

That's just a few. There are lots of other roads and trails to explore: Accotink, Wakefield, Holmes Run, North Sprinfield, etc.

Have fun.

Thanks a lot! I saw bikers cross Route 7 from Glen Carlyn so I suspected that was where I could get to a path. However, I got stumped at Carlyn Springs so I turned back around. One question though. Is there a paved route? I'm on a road bike so I'd prefer not to risk a puncture.

If I remember right, the road from Long Branch to 4MR is gravel. There may be another connector in there that is all paved.
If you go south on Carlyn Springs to 7th St, take it to Dinwiddie which ends at Columbia Pike very close to where the W&OD crosses.
If you want to get a little closer to East Falls Church - take Juniper to Seven Corners, cross 7 at Patrick Henry. Cross 50, right on John Marshall, turns into McKinnley. When you cross I-66 you'll be crossing over the W&OD. I've always gone straight from there, so I don't know the exact connector to the trail. Probably 12th St, or use 9th St to get close to Bon Air.

Thought I would throw this in as well. There's a web site/bike club (http://www.babesonbikes.org/) that has a number of great cue sheets for the Arlington and Barcroft areas. I've done a few myself and for the most part they are less traveled roads.

Thanks a lot! I'll give it a try.

On weekends, I recommend Rock Creek Park by the Thompson Boat House. From Ballston, you can access the trail in Georgetown. You'd be on the trail for awhile, but at Pierce Mill, stretches of Beach Drive are closed on weekends. The best riding is on Beach Drive above East West Hwy (Rt 410), though. Lots a cyclists, not too much traffic, and, in my experience, the traffic is considerate.