Bluemont to ANC and Pentagon Memorial Routes

[JanOD]

Can anyone suggest a good route for visiting ANC? I have a visitor pass and would like an alternative to driving in. I live near BonAir and Bluemont Parks in Arlington. I will be visiting Section 25 and the Columbarium.

I’m also interested in biking to the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial and would appreciate route suggestions. Could be combined with the ANC trip.

Topic

[bobco85]

From Bon Air/Bluemont Park to ANC:
W&OD >> Custis Trail >> Veitch which becomes 15th which becomes 14th* >> Rhodes (cross bridge) >> Arlington Blvd service road >> Meade >> at the intersection with 14th, take the left sidewalk/path, go past Iwo Jima and Netherlands Carillon, continue on the path >> Memorial Ave
Google Maps directions: http://goo.gl/maps/onHEP

To get onto Veitch, you’ll have to use the path through McCoy Park. Also, once you’re in ANC, you’ll have to walk your bike, but at least Section 25 is simple to get to (just stay on Eisenhower Dr). with the Columbarium not too far off (get on Bradley Dr).

From ANC to the Pentagon Memorial:
I would use Memorial Ave (sidewalk on right), cross the GW Parkway, and take the sidepath that runs along Washington Blvd to get to the memorial. If you look at a map with cycling turned on, you’ll see the sidepath I’m talking about. There are multiple crossings, however, so be careful when traveling this route.
Google Maps directions: http://goo.gl/maps/lbHyB

From the Pentagon Memorial back to Bon Air/Bluemont Park:
Rotary Rd >> Eads St >> 4MR >> W&OD
Google Maps directions (it wrongly displays a detour onto Fern, but you can use Eads): http://goo.gl/maps/zFCGg

* It’s Arlington, so of course streets will change names multiple times!

Hopefully this helps.

[dasgeh]

Bobco’s routes are trail-based, but they’re not direct. You can get to ANC a lot more directly through Fort Myer (you have to have photo ID), but you’ll ride a lot more through the “city”.

From Bluemont to ANC, I’d take the Bluemont Trail –> Fairfax Dr /10th –> Irving –> 7th –> Fillmore –> secret trail –> Courthouse Rd –> 2nd St S –> Fort Myer –> ANC
(distance = 6 miles to Bobco’s 5)
Note: The bike route through ANC is Meigs/Sherman/Schley but I assume, as Bobco does, that they’ll let you take a bike to the spot you have a pass to.

Bobco’s route to the 911 Memorial is the best, imho.

Home, again, you can use the base. Take Southgate Rd –> Fort Myer –> 2nd St S –> Irving –> trail/service roads along 50 –> W&OD. (distance = 5 miles to Bobco’s 7.5)

Make sense?

[JanOD]

Thanks to both of you, especially for the map links. It’s nice to have options so I can vary the trips. I’m inclined to take the Custis Trail going and Fairfax Drive returning since it passes some coffee options. If I loop around by the 9-11 Memorial I will avoid the forbidden uphill trip through ANC.

Bobco, your route takes me down Memorial and Porter. ANC Bicycle Use Policy says bikes can only travel on Meigs Ave., Sherman, and Schley Drives. With a vehicle pass, will I be able to take Memorial and Porter? I assumed I’d have to loop around the north side and then reenter at Memorial and Eisenhower. It would be cool if with the vehicle pass I could find my way back up the hill to Hatfield Gate.

[bobco85]

@JanOD 90630 wrote:

Bobco, your route takes me down Memorial and Porter. ANC Bicycle Use Policy says bikes can only travel on Meigs Ave., Sherman, and Schley Drives. With a vehicle pass, will I be able to take Memorial and Porter? I assumed I’d have to loop around the north side and then reenter at Memorial and Eisenhower. It would be cool if with the vehicle pass I could find my way back up the hill to Hatfield Gate.

To clarify, after getting on Memorial Ave and before turning onto Schley Drive, you’ll have to dismount and walk your bike. The last time I went through there (grandparents buried in Section 12 which you’ll pass on Eisenhower Drive), the guards made me walk my bike to the gravesite. You could also lock your bike at the visitor center and walk, too. I do not know if they will let you use your vehicle pass for your bike, though.

Have a nice trip!

[JanOD]

I called ANC about a month ago and was told I could cycle with a visitor pass. I can also bring guests if I stop at the visitor center and get individual passes for them. If someone stops me I think I’ll lobby for a change in rules, or an increase in awareness by guards if it’s allowed. A slow, respectful cyclist has much less impact than a car. There could be visiting family members from out-of-town who do not want to rent a car in order to visit their loved ones grave sites. ANC could see more family visitors on bikes if Capital Bikeshare were to put a station near the ANC entrance. (The county has suggested two cabi station sites near the metro and entrance to ANC.)

[PotomacCyclist]

I’ve seen an ANC location marked on maps of proposed CaBi stations, but then the marker gets removed. Seems like there is pushback from ANC/Dept. of the Army. A new CaBi station was added this summer near the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima). That station had been showing up on the proposed station maps for a while, and disappearing and reappearing.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208771379716907054335.0004b0d62fc49b0f212c9&msa=0&ll=38.88796,-77.096987&spn=0.028293,0.066047

[JanOD]

Is there another crowdsourcing map in addition to http://cabistations.com for suggesting CaBi stations? That one has far too many glitches.

[bobco85]

@PotomacCyclist 90645 wrote:

I’ve seen an ANC location marked on maps of proposed CaBi stations, but then the marker gets removed. Seems like there is pushback from ANC/Dept. of the Army. A new CaBi station was added this summer near the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima). That station had been showing up on the proposed station maps for a while, and disappearing and reappearing.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=208771379716907054335.0004b0d62fc49b0f212c9&msa=0&ll=38.88796,-77.096987&spn=0.028293,0.066047

They’ve been trying to get a CaBi station at ANC for over a year now, as referenced by this old thread: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?4420-Please-Support-Capital-Bikeshare-at-the-Arlington-Cemetery-Metro

Long story short, the argument against a CaBi station is that it apparently would interfere with the “solemnity” of ANC. I really wish they could get a station put there.

[consularrider]

@bobco85 90783 wrote:

They’ve been trying to get a CaBi station at ANC for over a year now … Long story short, the argument against a CaBi station is that it apparently would interfere with the “solemnity” of ANC …

Like all those exhaust spewing cars and buses lined up to get into the parking lot do a whole bunch to add to the “solemnity” of ANC. 😡

[JanOD]

Exactly. The county suggested stations are on the cloverleaf ramp from Memorial Ave to South 110 and along North 110. Stations can be camouflaged with shrubs like the MetroRail escalators at both ANC on the National Mall at the Smithsonian station. Perhaps if enough family members were to lobby for better bike access.

[JanOD]

Exactly. Same with allowing visitors with passes to drive to gravesites but asking them to walk their bikes. Perhaps if enough family members were to lobby for better bike access.

A bike station could be camouflaged with bushes just like the MetroRail escalators at ANC and on the National Mall.

[dasgeh]

At one point there was a proposal for a specific spot for the station, and I thought I saw something with the NPS logo, so I thought it was a serious consideration. Do the ArlCo/BikeArlington folks remember or know more?

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 90890 wrote:

Do the ArlCo/BikeArlington folks remember or know more?

Hmm, nothing rings a bell…

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 90894 wrote:

Hmm, nothing rings a bell…

They were considering putting a station behind the hedge, along the MUP that goes along 110 then up to the Iwo Jima (can we name that path already!?!?!)…

[Author]

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