Baltimore to DC?

[Smitty2k1]

I’m planning on taking the MARC to Baltimore on an upcoming Friday when I have the day off. I’m then going to bike back to Greenbelt park to camp for the night before the final short leg the following morning.

I know the Bike Washington website has a route between Baltimore and DC, but I’m wondering if anyone here has done this trip recently or has any other route suggestions.

Thanks!
Smitty

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[komorebi]

I’ve only ever ridden DC -> Baltimore, not vice versa, but https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37966497 is the reverse of the route I did last month, which I thought worked pretty well. Just pay attention to the few places on the cuesheet (at miles 3.0, 4.3, and 10.1) where there are some tricky spots — e.g., I suggest staying on the sidewalk for a block or two, or using a cut-through by a train station.

[JorgeGortex]

@komorebi 211633 wrote:

I’ve only ever ridden DC -> Baltimore, not vice versa, but https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37966497 is the reverse of the route I did last month, which I thought worked pretty well. Just pay attention to the few places on the cuesheet (at miles 3.0, 4.3, and 10.1) where there are some tricky spots — e.g., I suggest staying on the sidewalk for a block or two, or using a cut-through by a train station.

This is really cool! A buddy had suggested doing a 50 miler for his birthday coming up in two weeks and this could be a good adventure. Once at Benning Road you could motor along the Anacostia trail, over the new bridge, and work our way back into Arlington. And you felt, except for the noted spots, that this was a pretty safe route in all regards? Any othe tips for riding it?

JG

[komorebi]

@JorgeGortex 211635 wrote:

This is really cool! A buddy had suggested doing a 50 miler for his birthday coming up in two weeks and this could be a good adventure. Once at Benning Road you could motor along the Anacostia trail, over the new bridge, and work our way back into Arlington. And you felt, except for the noted spots, that this was a pretty safe route in all regards? Any othe tips for riding it?

JG

The route uses a lot of bike lanes, trails, and back roads, and I’ve found it all pretty manageable even when riding solo. The hairiest area is between miles 6.7 and 12.0, where you’ll just need to be assertive and take the lane. And yes, once you’re at Benning Road you can take either side of the Anacostia trail system and work your way back to Arlington. You’ll also be pretty close to the Minnesota Ave. metro station if you want to metro back to Arlington from there.

One other thing to note is that the tracks at Penn Station are one level below the station, so you’ll need to carry your bike up the stairs to exit the station. With a fully loaded bike, I usually have to make two trips up and down the stairs — one trip to carry the bike up, and one trip to carry the panniers up.

[Judd]

Have followed Komo on this route multiple times. Just the one little stretch that sucks. Otherwise lots of trail riding, backroads, quiet neighborhoods and empty industrial park roads.

Took this picture on the route last month.

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[Smitty2k1]

@komorebi 211633 wrote:

I’ve only ever ridden DC -> Baltimore, not vice versa, but https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37966497 is the reverse of the route I did last month, which I thought worked pretty well. Just pay attention to the few places on the cuesheet (at miles 3.0, 4.3, and 10.1) where there are some tricky spots — e.g., I suggest staying on the sidewalk for a block or two, or using a cut-through by a train station.

Wow awesome thank you! Will definitely use this route. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Excited to get out there and bike camp again. I’ve done a few overnighters already this year, but this will be the most “adventurous.”

Trying to make up for a canceled DC to Pittsburgh fall trip.

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[JorgeGortex]

Thanks, Komo and Judd! I appreciate the intel. This could be a really nice day ride. One other question-

I know about taking bikes on Metro, but I’m having a hard time finding info about the MARC train, which seems like I’d grab at New Carrolton. Do you have any insight about taking bikes onto the MARC trains and how that works? (I’ve never taken MARC anywhere, and not taken a bike on Amtrack either.)

Thanks, JG

@komorebi 211638 wrote:

The route uses a lot of bike lanes, trails, and back roads, and I’ve found it all pretty manageable even when riding solo. The hairiest area is between miles 6.7 and 12.0, where you’ll just need to be assertive and take the lane. And yes, once you’re at Benning Road you can take either side of the Anacostia trail system and work your way back to Arlington. You’ll also be pretty close to the Minnesota Ave. metro station if you want to metro back to Arlington from there.

One other thing to note is that the tracks at Penn Station are one level below the station, so you’ll need to carry your bike up the stairs to exit the station. With a fully loaded bike, I usually have to make two trips up and down the stairs — one trip to carry the bike up, and one trip to carry the panniers up.

[chris_s]

This has the official “Bike on MARC Trains” info: https://www.mta.maryland.gov/bike

[komorebi]

I believe that most or all of the weekend trains on the Penn Line have a dedicated bike car as the northernmost railcar on the train. In other words, half of the seats have been removed for bike racks, as shown in the (old) picture below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25412[/ATTACH]

For other trains, as chris_s’ link indicates, the bike rack/bike area will depend on the train. Here’s the vertical rack used on some MARC trains:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25414[/ATTACH]

[Smitty2k1]

@chris_s 211646 wrote:

This has the official “Bike on MARC Trains” info: https://www.mta.maryland.gov/bike

Thanks for this link, I knew MARC recently allowed bikes on all trains on all lines on all days, but I didn’t know some of the details:

BIKES ON MARC TRAIN
Full-size bicycles are now permitted on all MARC trains on all three lines. Identify which railcar to board by looking for the green “Bicycle Entrance” decal or an illuminated green light on the outside of the car. Passengers unable to find an available bike rack will need to wait for the next train with bike storage.

Securing Bicycles
Passengers must bring two (2) bungee cords to secure their bicycles. Not all types of rail cars have racks for bikes. On those that don’t, passengers are required to secure their bikes in the designated area using two bungee cords. MARC train equipment assignments vary day-to-day and your train may have any type of MARC rail car, therefore, you must be prepared to travel and store your bike with bungee cords. Passengers are not permitted to bring their bikes on a railcar that does not have bike racks if they do not have bungee cords to secure their bike.

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[ginacico]

@komorebi 211638 wrote:

One other thing to note is that the tracks at Penn Station are one level below the station, so you’ll need to carry your bike up the stairs to exit the station.

I rode MARC to Penn Station in October, and there was an elevator on the platform where my train arrived. The elevator is small, so I waited a few turns to let all the people go first. Not certain if every platform has one, but there should be some accommodation for accessibility (that’s how I usually find it — look for the wheelchair signs).

Also, we took MARC from Brunswick to DC on the return trip. There were no racks, instead we were pointed to a handicap space (otherwise empty) where the seats folded up and our bikes leaned against them. That was the only place I thought the bungees were really necessary.

Since all trains have bike accommodations, all you really have to do is roll onto the platform and let the conductors point you to the right space. If there are steps up into the car it gets tricky, but they might be persuaded to help you.

[Smitty2k1]

Ride report:

– 9:15am MARC at Union Station was fine. The platform attendee was not at all helpful, when we walked up and asked he just said “look for the sign” which was on a locked door. When we came back and told him it was locked he said “use another door and move your bikes to that area.” This is impossible in a double decker car with passengers. He finally reluctantly unlocked the specified door on the 3rd attempt. It was one of the cars that required bungees, which we had. The entire train would only really fit two bikes but no one else had a bike so we were good.

– Biking through Baltimore was neat. Stopped at Doobys cafe for coffee and lunch. Would definitely recommend and go again!

– Towards the outskirts of Baltimore part of the trail was washed out with debris from a previous flood (or three) and after walking our bikes through a lot of trash the trail ended in large impassible fencing. No signage indicated the closed trail nor a detour but we managed. Detail of area in question attached.

– A pretty considerable amount of the ride between the Baltimore and DC region was on uncomfortable roads with a good amount of traffic at high speeds. Even early afternoon on a week day. I found it rather unpleasant and would probably seek alternate routes next time. No close calls or anything and the drivers were considerate but it was loud and stressful always being on high alert.

– Weather was windy and cold but very sunny. Grateful for layers and multiple pairs of gloves.

– Rolled through Proteus in College Park at 3:03 and sadly their cafe closes at 3. They felt bad for me and gave me a free cup of what was left from the coffee pot. Grabbed dinner to go from the Naked Lunch counter at Moms Organic next door.

– Met two others for camping at Greenbelt and that was a delight. Got there at 4pm and had about an hour of daylight to setup camp and gather wood. Lows in the mid 20s overnight but we were well prepared and because the park has been closed for a while there was an abundance of dry wood everywhere. We built one hell of a fire. Never woke up with frost on my sleeping bag before.

Thanks Komorebi for the detailed RideWithGPS that was immensely helpful!!!

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[KWL]

Sweet bikes for the trip. And someone was ready for rain.👍

[komorebi]

@Smitty2k1 211707 wrote:

Ride report:

– Towards the outskirts of Baltimore part of the trail was washed out with debris from a previous flood (or three) and after walking our bikes through a lot of trash the trail ended in large impassible fencing. No signage indicated the closed trail nor a detour but we managed. Detail of area in question attached.

– A pretty considerable amount of the ride between the Baltimore and DC region was on uncomfortable roads with a good amount of traffic at high speeds. Even early afternoon on a week day. I found it rather unpleasant and would probably seek alternate routes next time. No close calls or anything and the drivers were considerate but it was loud and stressful always being on high alert.

Thanks for the ride report! Sorry to have misled you about the state of the trail — that’s a part of the Middle Branch trail that I haven’t ridden before. There’s another section of that trail that has the same problem — no signage in advance, no marked detour, no information online to indicate that the trail is partially closed. I find that baffling.

I was a bit surprised to hear about the heavy traffic. I usually ride that way on weekends, but I also took that route on a random Monday this past October, and the traffic wasn’t bad at all. If you find a better route, please let me know. I’ve tried a few different variations on the DC->Baltimore route, and the route I gave you is the best one I’ve found so far.

[Smitty2k1]

@komorebi 211744 wrote:

Thanks for the ride report! Sorry to have misled you about the state of the trail — that’s a part of the Middle Branch trail that I haven’t ridden before. There’s another section of that trail that has the same problem — no signage in advance, no marked detour, no information online to indicate that the trail is partially closed. I find that baffling.

I was a bit surprised to hear about the heavy traffic. I usually ride that way on weekends, but I also took that route on a random Monday this past October, and the traffic wasn’t bad at all. If you find a better route, please let me know. I’ve tried a few different variations on the DC->Baltimore route, and the route I gave you is the best one I’ve found so far.

It may have just been more about my expectations. I suppose I was expecting more country roads but instead it’s a lot of industrial access roads and highways. I think my expectations were off considering it connects two nearby major metropolitan areas.

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