As a cyclist, what is the best neighbourhood in DC

[cvcalhoun]

@Cadel 149589 wrote:

Hi All!
I’m moving to the DC area and new to the forum.
I love cycling! So the question is… where to live in the DC area
Mostly I love getting out on my road bike on the weekend, so it would be nice to live somewhere that has good access to quiet/scenic roads and trails
I’m working in downtown DC. My expectation is that I’ll commute to work on the train, however being able to commute via bike would be a nice bonus
Have some relatives in Chevy Chase/Bethesda MD, so I am thinking somewhere around there. Is it difficult to ride out of Bethesda on a Sunday morning?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks again!

I live in Bethesda, and commute to downtown DC every day. It’s definitely doable, depending on how far you are willing to ride. (My commute is 12.5 miles each way, but I’m fairly far over toward the Capitol.) There is an absolutely wonderful trail (the Capital Crescent Trail) between downtown Bethesda and Georgetown in DC. It’s an old rail trail, meaning not a lot of steep hills. And it’s seven miles, mostly through parkland, with only two road crossings.

Bethesda actually has several quiet, scenic trails leading out of it. There is also the Bethesda Trolley Trail, which goes up toward Rockville and Wheaton, and the Georgetown Branch Trail, which takes you to Silver Spring. I love living in Bethesda, in part because there are so many places you can go by bike, with minimal time on the roads.

If you ever want to test out the Bethesda to DC trip, let me know, and I’d be happy to show you. (I warn you, though, I’m a very slow cyclist.)

[jrenaut]

Welcome to the forum, and the area. You’re in luck – the Capital Crescent Trail leads basically from downtown up to Bethesda. It’s not a really tough connection to the Virginia trails, either. If you lived somewhere along the CCT, you’d have everything you want except maybe the train part. You’ve caught us at a bad moment for public transportation. It seems we forgot to do basic maintenance on our Metro for the last 40 years, and now we’re trying to catch up. This means that taking Metro sucks, and will continue to suck for a while.

Luckily, you’ll have a bike, so you’ll be fine.

[Cadel]

Thanks so much, wow, that is exciting!!
(might take you up on that offer, although I am not transferring until Spring 2017, so give me some time!)

[hozn]

Definitely MD has the better roads for road riding. It is easy to get to said good roads from Arlington or McLean, too, though, and Arlington might be a closer commute.

[cvcalhoun]

@Cadel 149592 wrote:

Thanks so much, wow, that is exciting!!
(might take you up on that offer, although I am not transferring until Spring 2017, so give me some time!)

No problem. You can always private message me on this forum when you’re ready.

[huskerdont]

@hozn 149593 wrote:

Definitely MD has the better roads for road riding.

Care to expand on this any? I think it’s debatable at best, not a definite, but perhaps I just don’t know where to go. We tried to map out a route to Gaithersburg once and just gave up. The Rockville Pike-type roads are no different than the Route 7-type roads, and roads like Glen and Glen Mill seem no better than, say, Georgetown Pike or Springvale. And once out in the country, I don’t see much of a difference between MD and Virginia. The only MD advantage I can think of is that some rural-ish roads in MD have a wide shoulder, whereas you rarely see that in VA. (I’ll leave drivers aside for the moment since those War of 1812 license plates travel everywhere.)

[hozn]

@huskerdont 149616 wrote:

Care to expand on this any? I think it’s debatable at best, not a definite, but perhaps I just don’t know where to go. We tried to map out a route to Gaithersburg once and just gave up. The Rockville Pike-type roads are no different than the Route 7-type roads, and roads like Glen and Glen Mill seem no better than, say, Georgetown Pike or Springvale. And once out in the country, I don’t see much of a difference between MD and Virginia. The only MD advantage I can think of is that some rural-ish roads in MD have a wide shoulder, whereas you rarely see that in VA. (I’ll leave drivers aside for the moment since those War of 1812 license plates travel everywhere.)

Yeah, I guess I am thinking of stuff closer to the city and further west. The rural roads are closer (to me in Arlington, anyway). The offshoots of MacAurthur and then of River Rd — and then west of Seneca for the rural stuff — are typically where the area’s roadie groups ride. Until you get to Loudon it’s hard to find similar quality riding in this side of the river, IMO. And getting to Loudon means riding the W&OD which rules it out for road group rides.

But yeah, I wouldn’t choose to ride on Rockville Pike.

[Crickey7]

Close-in Virginia has many state-designated “Scenic Byways”, for which shoulders are discouraged if not outright prohibited.

[Tim Kelley]

@hozn 149620 wrote:

Yeah, I guess I am thinking of stuff closer to the city and further west. The rural roads are closer (to me in Arlington, anyway). The offshoots of MacAurthur and then of River Rd — and then west of Seneca for the rural stuff — are typically where the area’s roadie groups ride. Until you get to Loudon it’s hard to find similar quality riding in this side of the river, IMO. And getting to Loudon means riding the W&OD which rules it out for road group rides.

Agreed. West of the DC, MD has better roads closer to the city. In VA you have to go further west to get to that type of riding. Don’t try riding in MD east of the city.

[cvcalhoun]

@hozn 149620 wrote:

Yeah, I guess I am thinking of stuff closer to the city and further west. The rural roads are closer (to me in Arlington, anyway). The offshoots of MacAurthur and then of River Rd — and then west of Seneca for the rural stuff — are typically where the area’s roadie groups ride. Until you get to Loudon it’s hard to find similar quality riding in this side of the river, IMO. And getting to Loudon means riding the W&OD which rules it out for road group rides.

But yeah, I wouldn’t choose to ride on Rockville Pike.

I would just point out that Rockville Pike has a bike/pedestrian path on the east side of it. So it’s not hard to go that way, without being on the road itself.

[cvcalhoun]

@huskerdont 149616 wrote:

Care to expand on this any? I think it’s debatable at best, not a definite, but perhaps I just don’t know where to go. We tried to map out a route to Gaithersburg once and just gave up. The Rockville Pike-type roads are no different than the Route 7-type roads, and roads like Glen and Glen Mill seem no better than, say, Georgetown Pike or Springvale. And once out in the country, I don’t see much of a difference between MD and Virginia. The only MD advantage I can think of is that some rural-ish roads in MD have a wide shoulder, whereas you rarely see that in VA. (I’ll leave drivers aside for the moment since those War of 1812 license plates travel everywhere.)

It is possible to go from Bethesda to Gaithersburg via bike paths and back roads. I’ve done it many times, with the aid of Google maps.

[Crickey7]

Bethesda is great for commuting into DC and great for weekend riding. It’s easy to pick up several routes that go into the prime riding country out in Potomac for the skinny tire set, or hop onto the C&O, or swing over to Rock Creek Park. It’s less good for casual riding to the coffee shop and the like–there isn’t much cycling infra outside of the CCT and the Trolley Trail. That’s changing, but very, very slowly.

[Subby]

The West McLean/Falls Church/N Arlington nexus is kind of great. Close to everything, lots of bike infrastructure. Plus you can ride to Maryland without having to actually live there! [ATTACH=CONFIG]12863[/ATTACH]

[Bruno Moore]

If we’re talking suburbia, northern PG County/ATHAland (Brentwood/Hyattsville/College Park) is pretty awesome. Direct, off-street connection into DC via the Anacostia trail, a couple good shortcuts and side ways through Brookland to connect with the Met Branch if you prefer that way, and a quick ride up the trails to the BARC and you’re in bike-friendly farmland.

In DC? I always thought Brookland/Woodridge was pretty underrated and bike-friendly—other than the Washington Hospital Center drag race and Cloverleaf of Doom to the west. Seven minutes on the Met Branch and you’re at the Capitol. Hard to beat that.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Subby 149646 wrote:

The West McLean/Falls Church/N Arlington nexus is kind of great. Close to everything, lots of bike infrastructure. Plus you can ride to Maryland without having to actually live there! [ATTACH=CONFIG]12863[/ATTACH]

This is the correct answer if you don’t actually want to live in the city or care about having the full spectrum of nightlife/cultural options (i.e. museums, theater, embassy events) within easy walking distance.

I’ve said this before…in the city I think Capitol Hill/Navy Yard are the best areas for cyclists. Easy access to Hains Point, the Anacostia trails, and NoVa trails; flatter than NW DC for errands or every day biking; nightlife/culture are awesome (we have the Capitol, Folger library, CHAW, Barracks Row and Eastern Market, Nats Park, Yards Park, Canal Park, Lincoln Park, and I could go on…). Case closed.

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