I'm temporarily relocating to Crystal City, Virginia and was wondering if there are many bike paths in the area. Anyone know?
Do local paths connect to the Mount Vernon trail and/or W&OD trail? Are the trails safe in the evening?

Lots of trails in the area. Many do connect. As in all urban/suburban areas there are sections where there have been incidents. Vigilance is the word. Local shops may be able to give some tips. There is a Bike Co-op in Alexandria,
https://velocitycoop.org/

You may wish to check these links out.

https://www.potomacpedalers.org/
https://www.facebook.com/PotomacPedalers

Maps & Routes | BikeArlington
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/trails/bikes

I used to commute many years ago in Arlington/DC.

Evening is the crazy driver time. People all irritated by work and want to get home.

BTW, welcome to Virginia!

You're in for a treat. I've been in Arlington for 6 months and have found the bike network to be excellent. You're across the road from the Mt. Vernon trail and you'll be able to get to the W&OD trail easily.

Check out the Arlington Bike Loop. Almost all of it is in on paved bike/walk paths with only a few surface crossings where cars are involved. The area has good bike lanes on surface streets, too. The whole region is well connected with bike lanes and paths.

Welcome to BikeArlington

I couldn't tell you about riding at night, though. There are sections of the Arlington loop where it can feel a little creepy even in the daytime.

The only downside with COVID is that the paths are even more crowded than they usually are. I've just returned to the area in the past week after being away 2 months and haven't ridden yet. If I do, I'm going to try for the morning instead of the afternoon. There seem to be fewer people out in the mornings.

The Mount Vernon Trail, Washington & Old Dominion Trail, Potomac Yard Trail, and Four-Mile Run Trail, are all accessible from Crystal City, and they tie into the greater Washington bike trail network.

I worked at the NAVSEA offices in Crystal City during the mid-1990s before they relocated to the Washington Navy Yard. The building where I worked had a recessed entryway with a large area out of the weather that served as a bike parking lot. When you would ask someone where they lived, the answer often was in terms of the access point to the nearest bike path - "My house is in Vienna, right next to the Washington & Old Dominion bike path."

I went for a ride on the Arlingtoon Loop this morning. My bike computer (and my legs) says it's been 6 weeks since my last ride. There were joggers and cyclists out around 8am, but definitely not as much as I've seen on the weekends before all this happened AND it was still cold. There's a digital people counter on the path before you get to the Key Bridge which is a fairly busy area. Even at 8am, I was only #63 to pass it.

This site links to those counters (but it doesn't seem like the data is linked properly). BikeArlington Counter Dashboard

For longer trips, you can catch the C&O Canal Towpath trail once you cross the Key Bridge into Maryland. That is a scenic ride (crushed stone), though can be crowded down near the city if the weather is nice. Not so bad as the Mount Vernon trail, though. The bridge has separated lanes for walkers/bikers to keep the cars away from you.
The C&O Canal Bicycling Guide - Mile 0 thru 10

Is there still an Arlington County Bike Club? I rode the first half century the club did; i still have the patch. Do Arlington riders still race down the hill in the National Cemetary? I was never a fast rider, but I always outran the park police in their Studebaker Larks.

I know they closed that after 9/11, but do not know of its current status. I suspect it was permanently closed to commuters or non-DoD personnel at Ft. Myer.

I used to commute in the early 1980s from Columbia Pike and S.Scott area into DC, and used that route in the morning (only ). I could not imagine climbing that one. That was a great hill I always managed to reach speed that even a 53-13 combo could not keep up. You would fly down the hill onto the cobbles/bricks at the cemetery and then try to cross the Memorial Bridge.

There is access the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Good view. Access to path across the Potomac. Last November I was up that way an road from National Harbor down to Mount Vernon and back. Foot traffic was not too bad. Realizing the path had a 14 mph speed limit and was getting busy I road the parkway back. From Mount Vernon it is a steady down grade for a way. Must have had a tail wind too. I was cruising at 30 to 35
mph. Then noticed the no bikes sign. Oh I stayed in the road but avoid the area.





The Capital Trail runs from Richmond to Williamsburg. Short trip.