Riding around Bailey’s Xroads

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  • May 29, 2014 at 8:47 pm #1002827
    Tim Kelley
    Participant

    I’ve only ridden on Glen Carlyn a few times, but it didn’t seem to be too high traffic. With stop lights at either end, you can get decent breaks in traffic to cross the street. I don’t remember the sidewalk in particular, but Streetview makes it look okay.

    Crossing 7 and the Glen Carlyn portion south of 7 may be a little hairy.

    May 29, 2014 at 8:58 pm #1002831
    KLizotte
    Participant

    I’ve ridden Glen Carlyn to get to Performance Bikes in Bailey’s Crossroads on a weekend and it was fine; remarkably low traffic and wide lanes. I can’t speak to how it is during the week however, esp during rush hour. Fortunately there are lights at Leesburg Pike so crossing is easy and I think there is a crosswalk (I take the lane). It is all residential backroads behind Peking Duck.

    There is a mosque or temple of some sort along the way which has services on the weekends which can sometimes cause some traffic but I didn’t have any problems with it.

    May 29, 2014 at 9:08 pm #1002833
    dasgeh
    Participant

    Thanks, guys. We would head out there Saturday morning.

    May 29, 2014 at 9:19 pm #1002835
    DismalScientist
    Participant

    Taking Manchester rather than the trail out of the Four Mile Run valley may make the hill easier to deal with.
    I’ve never had a problem on Glen Carlyn, but the area after 7 by the shopping center has more traffic than the rest.

    May 29, 2014 at 9:39 pm #1002838
    krazygl00
    Participant

    This is part of my regular commute. Your route is spot-on except Vista Drive is labeled as better for biking than Bellview Dr.

    From Four Mile Run I would take the little trail that goes past the playground with the big train. Otherwise if you exit via the park parking lot on to Manchester you have to climb higher only to descend down to 50.

    It depends on your level of comfort, but I really think you’ll be ok on Glen Carlyn without riding on the sidewalk. It is pretty wide and traffic never seems that bad or hurried. The intersection at Rt7 can get a little crowded. South of Rt7 it is divided by a median but also pretty low traffic.

    By the way, the best Pho I’ve ever had is located here and is very close by your route. We go there all the time!

    May 29, 2014 at 10:23 pm #1002843
    bobco85
    Participant

    Your route looks great, but I would take krazygl00’s advice and adjust it to take Vista Dr (few on-street parked cars for houses) instead of Bellview Dr (lots of angled parking for apartments).

    As for the rest of the route:
    – the trail from Bluemont Park next to the playground that spits you out at 1st St N has 2 small climbs, the first being pretty gentle and the second being shorter but steep enough that it can sneak up on you if you don’t have enough momentum
    – Manchester St traffic south of US-50 is okay as cars will just pass you using the center turning lane
    – Glen Carlyn Dr north of Route 7 is fine because there is a lot of room for cars to pass as you climb the small hill
    – Glen Carlyn Dr south of Route 7 gets a bit tight on that first curve (if I had a car, I would NOT park on that curve because you may see some cars with dents/scratches there) but the rest of it has low speeds due to the multiple stop signs
    – Vista Dr is a relatively quiet neighborhood street with a couple of stop signs
    – I like how the students paint Peaceful Valley Ln each year

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