DC Question - Key Bridge
 

For any DC commuters out there...

I haven't really been west on the bike path that is just south of the Jefferson Memorial (not the Mount Vernon Trail, but the other one...). What's the name of that bike path? Also, is there a ped/bike crossing at the Key Bridge into Georgetown?

Can't remember the name,but it goes over to the Pentagon. WABA(.org) has a list of all the local trails on their site.

There are two Key Bridge crossings in G'town;if you're on the west side of the bridge,there's a crosswalk that will put you on the sidewalk,if you're on the east side of the bridge you can get off the sidewalk at the light and head east on M street. Also on the east side of the bridge is Francis Scott Key park;if you cut through there it will take you down to the C&O Canal or you can cross the bridge over the canal and go down some steps to get under the Whitehurst. Turn right under there and you'll get on the Cap Crescent trail,turn left and you'll go past the waterfront which has a trail that runs past the Kennedy Center down to the Mall.

I'm not really sure which path you might mean. There is an unnamed path that goes from Marshall Dr by the Iwo Jima Memorial and alongside Arlington National Cemetary. However, once you cross Memorial Dr it is nothing more than a rut in the grass alongside the Jeff Davis Hwy to Washington Blvd north of the Pentagon. Arlington's bike map also shows a paved spur off the Mt Vernon Trail over to Washington Blvd north of the Pentagon. Both of these are actually directly west across the Potomac from the Jefferson Memorial.

Going south, there is only the Mt Vernon Trail until you get south of the airport when you can connect heading west to the 4 Mile Run Trail (and over to the W&OD trail) and ride almost 50 miles out to Purcellville.

Thanks. I'm trying to get from Anacostia to Georgetown tonight. I found this rather basic looking map online (although I like the picture pop-ups - http://bikewashington.org/commute/downtown/index.htm) which I think shows me the way I want to go. I guess I was just confused as to how far north the Mount Vernon trail actually went.

If you want to use the Mount Vernon Trail, you can cross on the 14th street bridge. There is construction on the trail, so use the detour to head north. There is a switchback ramp north of the Roosevelt Island parking lot the takes you to one end of the Key Bridge.

Faster would be to take the road around the Jefferson Memorial, along the river almost to Independence Avenue. At the little circle with the monument in the middle, switch to the trail along the river (extension of the Rock Creek Trail). Past the Kennedy Center you can get into Georgetown several ways - thru the boathouse parking lot to the Washington Harbor boardwalk, take the trail left under the highway to K Street, left on the C&O, up the ramp to M Street or up the next ramp to P Street.

The Mt. Vernon trail spur is there, but be warned that it has grade crossings through heavy traffic at several spots. The Arlington bike map shows that rut as being a paved trail. I've been in contact with the Arlington county organization responsible for the map, and they say that the rut is supposed to get paved, but the National Park Service owns the land, and Arlington has been in negotiations about who will pave it, and who will pay for it. They may fix the map in its next edition.
I've used the Rt.110 shoulder, which is quite wide, to go north from Pentagon to Rosslyn along that route, but I wouldn't advise it southbound.

yeah, but that's what they told me when I asked about it two years ago and there has been at least one map revision since then! :(