Hey there...I am sure most new people to this forum post a thread similar to this so sorry if this is repetitive but I have not been able to find a decent route to work yet and could use all advice.

I live at the intersection of Military and 31st. N in Arlington close to the Washington Golf and Country Club. I wanted to know of the best way to commute up to Reston Town Center. The WO&D Trail seemed like the way to go by means of taking a trail but it is still unclear of the most efficient way to pick up the trail or if just taking side roads might be a better bet. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

ponche, welcome to the club. Our county provides wonderful bike maps; download one from here. Unfortunately, Falls Church does not do the same, but you can always get the ADC map.

It looks like your best shot would be to take the off-street trail along Old Yorktown west, then 26th St west, then George Mason south, then Patrick Henry to the W&OD trail. (Though I'm not sure if there is an on-ramp from Patrick Henry to the W&OD).

I don't know if there is a real system of "side roads" between North Arlington and Reston; sooner or later, you are going to need to spend considerable time on high-traffic roads like Lewinsville or Leesburg Pike. The W&OD might be safer (subject to the usual caveats about unique safety hazards posed by bike trails).

Ponche:

As a DC bike commuter for close to 15 years, please take the W&OD trail, as your commute will be fairly safe. The trail will bring you right to the Town center. Also, the Trail would probably take less time than side roads.

Welcome to the area.

I don't have advice for getting to 66, but once you get to 66, you've got a beautiful ride in front of you. The Custis Trail parallels 66 from the Key Bridge until you get to 29 and 66 in Falls Church, where it connects with the W&OD. As others have stated, the W&OD will take you the rest of the way to Reston. From Falls Church, Reston is about 12 miles.

The Custis trail is pretty easy to join from Glebe road, from the Little Spout Run/29 entrance onto 66, or even from the Key bridge, but many residential streets also have access points.

My advice is to spend a Saturday scoping out roads to get you to 66. Then ride it on Sunday to figure out how to navigate intersections and connect with the trails. Also, check out the www.waba.org website; they have lots of maps and resources for bikers.

The W&OD will beat the daylights out of any other road you may find yourself on. Instead of glass, cars, and exhaust, you will get trees, cardinals, and fresh air. I've even seen a couple of foxes on the morning commute.

Thanks for posting this link - never knew about it. Might come in handy if/when I get down in that direction. I'd be amazed if Fairfax County did anything like this.

Like everyone else said, take one of the Arlington bike routes down to the Custis or W&OD Trails and head west. The Arlington County/Falls Church boundary is about mile 6. Reston Town Center is at mile 18, you can get off the trail just before crossing under Reston Parkway or there is another path up to Town Center oppossite the ice rink/pavillion (entrance to this path is towards Sallie Mae and the Town Center Parkway overpass). Grade is pretty gentle; there is a long down grade from Vienna that'll slow you down on the way home; a very short steep climb just west of the Hunter Mill Rd crossing, and a general uphill grade to Reston Parkway. Several of the road crossings get busy in the mornings - Gallows Rd, Maple St in Vienna, Hunter Mill, Sunrise Valley Dr, Sunset Hills Rd, Wiehle Ave in Reston. You can check a map of the trail at the Friends of the W&OD site: https://www.wodfriends.org/map1.html and there is info at the bikewashington site: https://www.bikewashington.org/trails/wad/wad.htm

BTW, May 20th is Bike to Work Day and there is a morning event at the pavillion at Reston Town Center, you can get a t-shirt, quick breakfast, and there may be a drawing for some goodies. Check the bikewashington home page or waba.org

If you don't feel like riding that far, bike to West Falls Church Metro and take one of the Fairfax Connector buses to Reston Town Center (it's becoming a major hub for bus routes). Or get a folding bike and carry it on the bus (unlike Arlington County and Metrobus, the Connector buses DO NOT have front-mount bike racks).

Do not even consider biking down Route 7. I've crossed it during bike rides and I felt like I was putting my life at risk. Even with a traffic light.

I am generally opposed to bike lanes and bike paths. The Arlington system, though, is often quite useful. I use the WO&D when picking up or dropping off our cars at the service shop in Falls Church. There are no road crossings -- all intersections are on and off ramps. It is a surreal experience to ride for five miles without stopping. It is vastly faster than either Wilson or Route 50.

One problem -- signage is very poor. It is easy to get lost, and finding the WO&D from the street system can be an absolute bear.


Paul

I highly recommend using the W&OD. The trail is 2 miles shorter for me vs. taking roads. Check the W&OD maps to make sure you know the way through Falls Church. It uses side streets at times, and you want to make sure you pick up the trail when it reappears (like at Virginia Ave. after crossing I66).

Cars will even stop for you at the uncontrolled intersections at Cedar Lane, Hunter Mill and Sunset Hills.