Prettiest place to start 5-10 mile westward ride on W&OD? (Arlington: power lines, to rent)

[Alicia Bradley]

My parents will be visiting to help me move in a few weeks, and they're going to rent bikes so we can all go on a shortish (5-10 mile) ride - my dad likes the Mount Vernon Trail, but I'm more a W&OD person (since we'll be based in Alexandria and Fairfax City, these are the two [major] trails that will be closest to us). Anyone have any recs for 5-10 miles stretches on the W&OD that wouldn't require us to drive too far west to start out? What about starting in Herndon and going west for about 5-10 miles? Too blandly suburban? Should we start out in Loudoun somewhere? Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have!

[JD984]

If your parents are up for the drive, I might start at Smith's Switch Station in Ashburn and head west towards Leesburg. That's a fairly pleasant stretch of the W&OD with a number of picnic areas to the side. If you start in Herndon heading west, you'd have to go through a number of traffic intersections in Herndon and then you end up going through a fairly drab, older section of Sterling Park.

Another possibility might be to start northwest of the Town of Vienna (there's parking at the bottom of Clarks Crossing Road, which is off of Beulah Road) and then head east through the Town of Vienna towards Arlington. If you did that, you'd have the option of stopping for a snack or refreshment in either Vienna or Falls Church.

[themommy]

I think the stretch between Columbia Pike and 123 is pretty nice. There's a stretch there that parallels 66 (it's not particularly bad, just a little boring), but if you were to start at Columbia Pike and head west I don't think you'd even get to the 66 part before it was time for you to turn around.

If your parents are up for the drive, then I agree that the Smith's Switch Station area is also really nice. You could bike to Carolina Brothers for barbecue (it's right on the trail) then turn around and go back to your car.

[Alicia Bradley]

Thanks very much, guys!! I will run these ideas by my parents when arrive in May.

[eastli84]

I second the segment just west of Columbia Pike. It's a really nice ride between the Pike and East Falls Church. The trail connects a bunch of pocket parks which I think you'd all enjoy.

Another personal favorite is the Cross County Trail between Rte 50 (at Nutley St) and Lake Accotink. That total segment is about 15 miles roundtrip, but the Lake Accotink loop is 4-5 miles and is really really pretty.

[goozer]

Originally Posted by JEB77

If your parents are up for the drive, I might start at Smith's Switch Station in Ashburn and head west towards Leesburg. That's a fairly pleasant stretch of the W&OD with a number of picnic areas to the side. If you start in Herndon heading west, you'd have to go through a number of traffic intersections in Herndon and then you end up going through a fairly drab, older section of Sterling Park.

Another possibility might be to start northwest of the Town of Vienna (there's parking at the bottom of Clarks Crossing Road, which is off of Beulah Road) and then head east through the Town of Vienna towards Arlington. If you did that, you'd have the option of stopping for a snack or refreshment in either Vienna or Falls Church.

Agree with both of these recommendations, except I would go west from Vienna, not east. I've ridden the whole trail and these are my favorite parts. Least favorite is the stretch between Herndon and Ashburn -- very suburban sprawly.

If you have access to hybrid or mountain bikes, you might want to consider the C&O Canal Trail. It's finely crushed gravel, as opposed to pavement, but it is a beautiful ride just adjacent to the Potomac River. I would recommend you park your car at Fletcher's boathouse, about three miles west of Georgetown on Canal Road and ride west from there. It's about 10 miles to Great Falls, and the scenery is spectacular. It will make you forget you are just outside of the nation's capital.

[statecollege]

Originally Posted by goozer

If you have access to hybrid or mountain bikes, you might want to consider the C&O Canal Trail. It's finely crushed gravel, as opposed to pavement, but it is a beautiful ride just adjacent to the Potomac River. I would recommend you park your car at Fletcher's boathouse, about three miles west of Georgetown on Canal Road and ride west from there. It's about 10 miles to Great Falls, and the scenery is spectacular. It will make you forget you are just outside of the nation's capital.

The C&O Canal path exceeds the scenery of most of the W&OD IMHO. Certainly, the Mt Vernon trail is beautiful south of the Wilson Bridge, but there can be some steep grades for anyone not in good biking shape.

[tarp]

The best stretch of the W&OD is from Leesburg to Purcellville. No power lines, beautiful mountain/hill views, and fresh air. Otherwise, take the advice and go from Vienna west towards Reston, you'll have to deal with the powerlines but otherwise it's idyllic. Herndon to Ashburn has great warehouse and business park views!

I second the C&O Canal recommendation, but make sure to have fat tires. Mt. Vernon is too crowded on weekends.

[michgc]

It's been awhile, but I remember the Leesburg to Purcellville section of the path being beautiful as well. Bonus is that you can walk around downtown Purcellville when you get there. And since others are recommending other trails, I love the Capital Crescent Trail from downtown Bethesda to Georgetown - I feel like I am on vacation everytime I ride it.

[lchoro]

If you're up for the ride, I would take the Mount Vernon Trail from Alexandria to get to the Four Mile Run Trail. The latter is a very nice wooded trail that leads to the W&OD Trail. It's flat and has lots of shade from the tree cover.