If you don’t have a military ID card you will need to produce some sort of valid photo ID and sign in. You consent to a search, should the gate guards decide to select you. You will also need a helmet. The base is very safe for bicycling, although I would also strictly obey every stop sign and speed limit.
In my opinion, the Arlington Bike Map should also add in the Sixth Street route skirting around the National Foreign Affairs Training Center and running through Fort Myer. While the route on 8th Street is perfectly acceptable, I personally disliked the steeper hills and extra cars around George Mason and 8th Street on that route. Until something better comes along, the Sixth Street route would be my preferred bike route to bypass the Columbia Pike congestion.
