Best route to GMU from Hummer and LRT?

[MattAune]

I might try to take the CCT into Wakefield park, and then the Braddock rd sidewalk (on the north side of the underpass) to Glen Park Rd. Cut through the park there and cross over Wakefield Chapel and pick up the Long Branch Trail. This will dump you on Olley which has a paved side path down to Braddock, where you can pick up the side path.

There might be a better way to cut through a neighborhood at the Olley end of the trail to avoid Braddock, but I have never explored back there.

You could also get off the CCT at Mockingbird and cut through my neighborhood and take the Wakefield Chapel Rd bike lane to the Long Branch trail

[ShawnoftheDread]

CCT to Old Lee Highway would be the easiest, though there’s a bit of a climb on Old Lee.

The most direct would be Americana to Wakefield Park, side path on north side of Braddock to Glen Park, cut through Howery Field Park, and continue on side path until Woodland. Then cross Braddock and cut through the two parking lots until you pick up the side path on the south side of Braddock near Guinea. Take that all the way to GMU.

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 63564 wrote:

CCT to Old Lee Highway would be the easiest, though there’s a bit of a climb on Old Lee.

The most direct would be Americana to Wakefield Park, side path on north side of Braddock to Glen Park, cut through Howery Field Park, and continue on side path until Woodland. Then cross Braddock and cut through the two parking lots until you pick up the side path on the south side of Braddock near Guinea. Take that all the way to GMU.

1. The side trail (as distinct from the disappearing sidewalk) on the north side of Braddock beyond Howery, was woodsy and nicely tucked away from the road, but was also narrow, in poor condition, had one quite challenging hill, and vegetation reaching onto the trail. Not a Class A route.

2. I did not realize you meant the parking lot by Crownwood Court. I tried Braddock west of Guinea, and so ended up on the shoulder (scary!) for a ways before Guinea.

Those trails really need better wayfinding.

As does, IMO, GMU itself.

I took the northern way back – up George Mason Blvd to University Dr , to that lovely bike trail from Breckinridge up to Main street – than up Old Lee to the trail that leads to Pickett. The only big problem with that is that with tunnel under Pickett still out, the crossing of Pickett is nasty. Then its the good old CCT back to King Arthur. I forgot the side road stops at Lake, and ended up on the shoulder again (I should have done the back streets from King Arthur to Lake) and then over the LRT bridge over the beltway.

I liked the northern route much better than the Braddock road route. Took me about the same amount of time back as out.

[ShawnoftheDread]

You could have stayed on the CCt either until Americana Park to take the sidewalk on the south side of LRT, or turned off the trail just before going under LRT (through that gravel lot) to take the north side sidewalk.

And sure you liked the northern route better coming home, but remember you would have been climbing the hill on Old Lee if you had gone out that way.

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 67635 wrote:

You could have stayed on the CCt either until Americana Park to take the sidewalk on the south side of LRT, or turned off the trail just before going under LRT (through that gravel lot) to take the north side sidewalk.

That’s true. I’m still trying to figure out if the new crossing on the north side is useful at all. But crossing back over LRT at Heritage/Hummer can be a bother, and the north side better positions me for the easy back way into Adams Walk via Lafayette Drive, rather than Hummer (Hummer is how I go to the bus stop and I do that quite enough).

And sure you liked the northern route better coming home, but remember you would have been climbing the hill on Old Lee if you had gone out that way.

Hmm. There seem to be a fair number of challenging hills to climb whichever way I go, but maybe that one is worse than the others.

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