Tysons to Horse Country? (Arlington, Reston: new construction, living in, vs.)

[eqnova]

Looking for advice as I get ready to move.

I work in Tysons Corner, and am interested in living in Arlington (Ballston, probably). I'm young and single, so I feel like I need to be where my social life is. Going back and forth between Ballston and Tysons isn't a bad commute and I have tons of friends who do it, either on the silver line or driving.

The dilemma is this - I'm a horseback rider and I'm really looking to get back into the sport. Northern Virginia has so much sprawl that there are very, very few places to ride within a reasonable distance. I'm basically looking at having to go almost all the way out to Aldie, or possibly Leesburg. I may find something a bit closer in, but not by much.

If I need to get out to horse country 2-3 times a week, how hellish is my life going to be? During the week, I could leave Tysons Corner as early as 4 to get to either Leesburg/Aldie area, and then return trip to Arlington probably around 7 or 8pm. Will this be absolute hell? As I decide where to ride, is there a significant difference driving to Aldie vs. Leesburg area? Could I do it in under an hour from Tysons if I leave at 4?

Obviously I could ask Google Maps, but with covid they're estimating no traffic and a breezy 30-35 minutes.

[spencgr]

Can you be more specific as to where in Aldie or Leesburg you mean? It can make a difference. Generally, you won't have problems, if you are willing to pay for the Toll Road and Greenway, but that can get very expensive. But if you have to go to the northern side of Leesburg, that could get painful.

[boyd888]

If you go on the weekends it won't be too bad. Heading west with all of the commuter traffic at 4pm on a Tuesday, yes, hell.


Consider living in the Reston Town Center area instead - plenty to do in that area. There are young people all over northern VA and I find DC itself is more popular than orange line corridor anyway.

[lchoro]

Leesburg would be easier to get to. You would take the Dulles Toll Road and the Dulles Greenway Toll Road to get to the Leesburg Route 7 bypass. The two riding farms are near the Route 7 bypass that circles Leesburg. I have to warn you that there is a lot of traffic on the bypass which becomes a virtual parking lot in the late afternoon with commuters returning to West Virginia and Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

There appear to be a lot more farms around the Chantilly/Aldie area. That would be taking the Dulles Access Road, then a left on Route 28, and a right on Route 50 West. (Maybe they need a show called The Virginians about people with strange accents and needing directions.)

I don't know that the reverse flow at the tail end of rush hour 6:30 pm will be that light. You just have to experiment.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by lchoro

That would be taking the Dulles Access Road, then a left on Route 28, and a right on Route 50 West.

Anyone who would take that route to Aldie is crazy. Even if you don't want to pay for the Greenway, 28N to 606W is a better option.

[lchoro]

The horse farms are near the intersection of routes 15 and 620. I don't know the level of traffic on 620 from 28 to 15. All the other ones are heavy. 606 and 28 below 50 also have new construction going on and traffic patterns from a month ago. Leesburg is the easiest to get to.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by lchoro

The horse farms are near the intersection of routes 15 and 620. I don't know the level of traffic on 620 from 28 to 15. All the other ones are heavy. 606 and 28 below 50 also have new construction going on and traffic patterns from a month ago. Leesburg is the easiest to get to.

No one should ever drive Braddock Road from 28 to 15.

[eqnova]

Thanks so much for the advice everybody! It sounds like the general consensus is that Leesburg would be easier than Aldie, but I'll try to avoid having to get on the leesburg bypass.

With that, I'm considering a few farms along Evergreen Mills Road (roughly between Aldie and Leesburg), and have found two other promising options on the right side of Leesburg. I've already resigned myself to having to pay a lot for horses, so I'm willing to pay for the Toll Road / Greenway. Thank you all for helping me narrow it down!

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by eqnova

Thanks so much for the advice everybody! It sounds like the general consensus is that Leesburg would be easier than Aldie, but I'll try to avoid having to get on the leesburg bypass.

With that, I'm considering a few farms along Evergreen Mills Road (roughly between Aldie and Leesburg), and have found two other promising options on the right side of Leesburg. I've already resigned myself to having to pay a lot for horses, so I'm willing to pay for the Toll Road / Greenway. Thank you all for helping me narrow it down!

If you are willing to pay, it won't be too difficult to get to Evergreen Mills. There are various Ashburn exits you can use to get yourself over to there.

[reebo]

Originally Posted by lchoro

The horse farms are near the intersection of routes 15 and 620. I don't know the level of traffic on 620 from 28 to 15. All the other ones are heavy. 606 and 28 below 50 also have new construction going on and traffic patterns from a month ago. Leesburg is the easiest to get to.

There are barns in other places.