Fairfax to Fredericksburg – Is Bike Route 1 the best choice?

[SteveTheTech]

Hi there, Welcome to the group.

That sounds like a pretty intense ride that will require some significant seat time on public roads. Where are you headed? Google maps has bicycle route calculator that is still beta technically but it has great options in this area.

Just by inputting Fairfax to Fredericksburg it takes at least 5 hours and goes down 28 and not 1. Rt.1 seems to be one of the more dangerous highways in this area. If I were making that ride I’d look for a different way. Depending on where you were going though it might be the easiest depending on your start or end point.

[JimF22003]

As I understand it “Bike Route 1” is not the same as “Car Route 1”. It’s a recommended route for bikes to travel north/south. I’ve ridden parts of it from Aquia down to Fredericksburg. It’s not bad. It meanders a bit.

Here’s an article with some links: http://www.vabike.org/us-bike-route-1-richmond/

[Mark Blacknell]

I’ve ridden Bike Route 1 in Richmond, and the linked article correctly describes it as well marked (and it’s quite pleasant). I do not think the same is true for BR-1 from here to Fredricksburg. In fact, if I’m recalling things correctly, one of the more serious vehicular cyclists I know described BR-1 through Prince William County as a mess. So I’d beware relying on its designation as BR-1. Depending on the kind of bike you’re on, you might want to look into incorporating the Cross County Trail into your plans (that’s also not very well signed, but I understand that the trail itself is pretty good).

If you come back with a map, I suspect you can get some good feedback. Good luck.

[PanthersFan]

I’m riding from GMU to old town Fredericksburg. The Bike Route 1 is different than the Route 1 most of us avoid. The VDOT bike map http://www.virginiadot.org/bikemap/ shows the Bike Route 1 going around the Prince William Forest.

[CCrew]

@PanthersFan 5962 wrote:

I’m riding from GMU to old town Fredericksburg. The Bike Route 1 is different than the Route 1 most of us avoid. The VDOT bike map http://www.virginiadot.org/bikemap/ shows the Bike Route 1 going around the Prince William Forest.

Interesting route. They’re definitely running you way west to run south. Says a lot about bikeable infrastructure.

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