Originally Posted by Diggy18
The one where I got nailed was the Mt Vernon trail. Up near the airport, right across from Crystal City,
That was my first guess from your description. I was out there on a weekday a few weeks ago and it was INSANE. The trail is narrow, windy and hilly, and nobody seems to care. I got run off the trail by someone who refused to yield to oncoming traffic while passing. Since Saturday was a beautiful day it must have been ten times worse than any weekday.
That trail gets my vote for the worst in the area. A couple of years ago a cyclist was killed there when he collided with another cyclist, who fled the scene and was never caught. I honestly think you'd be safer riding on the parkway. Certainly there are any number of roads in the area that are safer and more pleasant.
The irony is that novices flock to the trail, which compounds the problem. I can't imagine anyone would go there on a weekend twice. So don't take your experience as representative.
On Sunday I went out on the Capital Crescent, which has a better layout but many of the same problems with crowding and attitude. Surprisingly it was uncrowded and I had a nice ride with my 4-year-old.