Mount Vernon Trail and Hains Point Questions

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  • December 28, 2011 at 7:04 pm #910764
    eminva
    Participant

    Hello —

    I decided to give the Festive 500 a try so I’ve been expanding beyond my usual commuter routes this week. Last Friday, I left work early and rode down to Mount Vernon (from downtown DC). However, I kind of lost the trail in Alexandria. As I approached Old Town, the trail forked and the branch to the left was marked as “River Route.” I wasn’t sure which way to go, so I took the right fork thinking that kept me on the main trail, but almost immediately realized that would have me salmoning down the sidewalk on Washington so I turned around and took the “River Route.” Pretty soon I lost all signage for that, so I just kept ambling in a general southerly direction until I saw a sign for the trail. Right around the beltway crossing, I almost got lost again, but a really helpful pedestrian got me pointed in the right direction. For the return trip, I just stayed on Washington.

    How do cyclists usually negotiate Alexandria? Stay on Washington? If so, do you take the lane? I did take the lane right in the most congested area (after buzzing an elderly lady coming out of a church while riding on the sidewalk) and that seemed okay, but I didn’t really want to beyond that 4-6 block area. Traffic seemed a bit fast.

    This morning I went to Hains Point for a couple of loops. Right next to the entrance to the golf course, there was a barrier blocking the road indicating the road was closed. I just hopped over the curb and went around the side and continued cycling round the loop. I assumed the barrier was meant to keep out autos only. However, I’m not sure. Does anyone know whether bikes are allowed when the barrier is in place? If not, are there hours when bikes are allowed?

    Thanks very much for your input.

    Liz (who’s still got 286 km to go . . . darn upper respiratory infection . . . )

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  • December 28, 2011 at 8:24 pm #933957
    OneEighth
    Participant

    Liz,
    If you stay straight where the MVT forks at the northern edge of Alexandria, the path dumps you onto the sidewalk (or you can salmon those 50 feet on the street). In any case, I assume you saw the train tracks—just past them is a path to your left. Take that (be forewarned it is bumpy). It cuts a corner and dumps you out right by the entrance to the power plant where you can either pick up another trail on the other side of the plant driveway (don’t bother) or can hop onto the street heading south. That’s North Royal Street. Take that all the way to the end, pick up another trail under the bridge and follow it to the right (where it runs uphill along the side of the bridge) and you will recognize the rest of the MVT on your left at the top of the hill running parallel to the Parkway.
    It’s a lot easier than it sounds.
    As for the barrier at Hains, I think you hop the curb and continue around the loop at your own risk. That having been said, you can definitely see a well-worn path around the barrier.
    They often close it after a particularly high tide because the road gets covered with lots of debris.
    Get better quickly and have fun!
    Tom

    December 28, 2011 at 9:15 pm #933960
    dbb
    Participant

    Liz,

    I hopped the curb this morning and when I came out at the Ohio Drive and Buckeye stop sign, there was a Park Police car parked in the entrance. That he said/did nothing as I came out of a closed road (twice) speaks to their acceptance of cyclists when the front gate is closed. I’d like to see a couple of curb cuts and a sidewalk around the barrier near the minature golf course (or maybe a gap in the gate that will allow cyclists through).

    There was some kind of police bike ride today with about 25 police officers near Hains Point at about 7 am. They were last seen heading over the 14th Street Bridge towards the MVT.

    Dana

    December 29, 2011 at 3:43 am #933968
    Rootchopper
    Participant

    Liz
    At the fork bear left for the river route. This keeps you along the river until it curls back to the railroad tracks on the south side of the power plant. Go about a hundred yards and cross the tracks at the first street intersection. Take an immediate left to continue on the trail along side the tracks. When you reach a T intersection take a left. This puts you onto Union Street. Stay on Union beyond all the businesses and take a right into a park to go through the Wilkes Street tunnel At the far end of the tunnel take a left onto South Royal Street, which eventually gets you to the Beltway underpass and the off street trail.

    One of the problems in Old Town is the trail is supposed to go all the way to the southern end of Union Street then go off road into Jones Point Park. The park is currently under renovation so the trail is closed at that point.

    South of Old Town the trail follows the Parkway on the river side for about 3 1/2 miles until it dumps out onto a street. Just follow the street up a short hill and take a right over the stone bridge. On the far side of the bridge take a left onto the trail From this point on the trail is continuous all the way to Mount Vernon.

    December 29, 2011 at 11:55 am #933969
    JimF22003
    Participant

    Here’s a gps track of a Thanksgiving ride that includes going through Alexandria and on down the MVT.

    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/130673654

    If you zoom in at one point you can see where I hit the porta-potty in the marina parking lot :)

    December 30, 2011 at 6:16 pm #934015
    eminva
    Participant

    Thank you everyone! I can see there may be a variety of ways to get through Alexandria . . . next time I go, I will sit down with a map and the suggestions above to make my plan. I was along the railroad tracks at one point, and I did go through that Wilkes Street tunnel, so I guess I wasn’t too far off.

    I think I figured out what was going on on Hains Point on Wednesday. I read in ArlNow that a Park Police officer’s funeral was that day, and some roads would be closed so his procession could pass the US Park Police HQ on Hains Point. I was through there much earlier in the day, but as I did my loops, a number of Park Police horse trailers were parking on Ohio Drive, so I guess they were using the loop as a staging area for a mounted police escort for the funeral. That’s a guess, but there didn’t seem to be any debris on the road or elevated tide that would suggest a closure for safety reasons.

    Thanks again.

    Liz (only 115 km to go now . . .)

    December 30, 2011 at 8:42 pm #934018
    Rootchopper
    Participant

    Liz
    The key street is Royal Street. At the southern end of Royal Street the off road MVT begins again. It goes underneath the Beltway at this point. The Wilkes Street tunnel pops out on South Royal. The alternate trail that you have to salmon on pops out on North Royal. (North and South indicate where you are relative to King Street, BTW.)

    Once you get it all figured out, the folks doing work on Jones Point Park will put in a new detour to confuse you all over again.

    December 30, 2011 at 11:02 pm #934019
    acc
    Participant

    Liz, I am the quintessential village idiot of this forum so I decided I’d try to ride down to Mount Vernon because if I can do it, 95% of the population at large can do it, even without a bike. I picked my way down there and just stuck close to the river using the advice in this thread until I picked up the MVT trail again near a great big apartment complex. I even made it back. Therefore, you will have no problem.

    ann

    Jim’s map was very helpful.

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