How to get under 495 -> Franconia Park

[CaseyKane50]

@elbows 137559 wrote:

I would like to ride to Franconia Park (to get to a plant nursery). Several years ago, I rode on S Van Dorn and under/near the beltway, I was truly terrified. Google suggests I sidewalk S Van Dorn on the east side and then take Oakwood. That seems fine. Would that work or is there an alternative between Cameron Run and 395? Thanks.

You could take the Claremont Connector that you can pick-up from Eisenhower at Claremont Avenue. There is a switchback path just past theBeltway that will take you up to Claremont Drive. Either ride up Claremont Drive and turn right on Franconia or you can wend your way through neighborhoods and get within a few blocks of Van Dorn.

[trailrunner]

Here is the route through the Clermont Connector from Cameron Run into the neighborhood on the south side of 495:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6828954

From there, you can work your way west or wherever you need to go. Note that the neighborhood on the south side of 495 is pretty hilly.

[ginacico]

Another connector further east is at Telegraph Road. There’s a bike/ped path starting across from the Hoffman Center on Eisenhower, which drops you off at the corner of Huntington Ave and Telegraph Rd.

After that, you’ve got options to take Franconia Rd or cut through the quieter neighborhood streets.

[bobco85]

Food for thought from someone who travels through here every few weeks on my way toward Beulah St (I think I found the correct Franconia Park):

Taking the Van Dorn St way as shown here: https://goo.gl/maps/WqhvM3q3YwS2

• The sidewalk on the east side of Van Dorn St is passable but is narrow especially on both underpasses. You’re not likely to encounter anyone on this stretch, but sight lines are bad so be careful.
• The in-between street crossing at Vine St can be awkward because turning traffic is not looking for pedestrians/cyclists and there is no marked crosswalk
• Oakwood Rd has a wide paved side path but is on a rather steep hill, so make sure you’re prepared. Be extra careful if using this on your return trip because the turn will be in the middle of a steep downhill (i.e. you will ruin your brakes if you try to stop and turn).
• I recommend staying on the asphalt sidepath on the east side of Van Dorn St until you get to Chrysanthemum Dr and using the pedestrian beg button to get across.
• Use the neighborhood streets to get to Franconia Rd. You’ll want to do this as the Van Dorn/Franconia intersection is terrible to ride through.
• Franconia Rd is 3 lanes the rest of the way, so you can use the sidewalk to bail if things get too hairy.

Taking the Clermont Connector as shown here: https://goo.gl/maps/oYRWRm7uNiD2

• The climb up Clermont Dr after going through the connector is steep (steeper than Oakwood Rd)
• I recommend staying on Clermont Dr and turning immediately onto Franconia Rd. It’s much easier to enter traffic as the road is one lane here, and you’ll be able to establish your position in the right lane when it becomes two lanes.
• The Franconia Rd/Van Dorn St intersection sucks. Two lanes will open up on the right (one right-turn only, the other straight/right), and you will need to move into the straight/right-turn lane at the same time as drivers are moving to the right. Its a mess, but I think this intersection is the worst part of the route.

Alternate Clermont Connector route through the neighborhood: https://goo.gl/maps/2YkcbtQ9Xfk

• I’ve gotten lost in this neighborhood the first few times I traveled through (before I got my fancy smartphone with its life-saving GPS), but at the very least traffic is rather calm (I always wonder if the people that live on Larpin Lane actually do any LARP-ing).

Hopefully this helps.

[scoot]

I occasionally commute this way. My preference, as it is the easiest route from a hills perspective, is:

Clermont Connector
R on Glenwood (first thing at the bottom of the hill: I find this climb easier than Clermont)
R on Upland
R on Larno
L on Jane
R on Ninian
R on Westchester
L on Brookland
L on Old Rolling
R on Trin
L on Brookview
R on Foldi
L on Brookland
R on Franconia

Yes it is a lot of turns! It took me a few times before that route became automatic.

Heed bobco85’s advice regarding the Franconia / Van Dorn intersection westbound! Be bold and highly visible in the lane that allows straight/right. It’s a tricky spot because some right-turning drivers can’t seem to decide whether they should cross in front or behind you here. From there, I have never had any difficulty westbound in the early morning taking a lane from Van Dorn to Beulah at ~ 18-20 MPH, but afternoon traffic on Franconia is often heavy and jammed at that intersection. So eastbound in the afternoon, I usually just squeak through on the sidewalk from Em to EHS (hopping down into the turn lane, when clear, in order to get on the left side of drivers turning south onto Van Dorn). Then the following traffic signal helps me cross the street and get back onto Brookland northbound. On the east side of Van Dorn, the curb cut angle and the southside Franconia sidewalk condition are both awful and often full of sand and rocks. I use the grass for a bit here.

I use Beulah to head south so can’t help you west of there. There appear to be no practical alternatives to Franconia Rd (or its sidewalk) until you get over the tracks.

[elbows]

Wow – thanks for all the useful advice. I will try this out soon.

[creadinger]

I’ve just begun exploring this area a lot more on evening rides, and with the new Wegman’s near Beulah and Telegraph I’m hoping to head down there more often. I need to get a cycling jersey with REALLY deep pockets so I can fit 14″ subs in there. So far I’ve crossed 495 to get to Eisenhower using Eisenhower connector/Clermont, and Van Dorn/Oakwood. Maybe I’ll try the Telegraph one next.

One question I have is that I have always feared Eisenhower Ave, but the 3 times I’ve ridden on it so far it’s been pretty tame. Is that typical? Or are there times when it’s REALLY bad to ride on Eisenhower?

[creadinger]

I’ve just begun exploring this area a lot more on evening rides, and with the new Wegman’s near Beulah and Telegraph I’m hoping to head down there more often. I need to get a cycling jersey with REALLY deep pockets so I can fit 14″ subs in there. So far I’ve crossed 495 to get to Eisenhower using Eisenhower connector/Clermont, and Van Dorn/Oakwood. Maybe I’ll try the Telegraph one next. I was down there last night in fact, and made a wrong turn. I turned off of Beulah too early onto Manchester instead of Franconia. I can report that Manchester, while just another suburban highway, wasn’t terrible to ride on.

One question I have is that I have always feared Eisenhower Ave, but the 3 times I’ve ridden on it so far it’s been pretty tame. Is that typical? Or are there times when it’s REALLY bad to ride on Eisenhower?

[rcannon100]

For what it is worth, here is the Strava Heat Map.

I love riding Cameron Run / Holmes Run. And I love riding the VA CCT. Last friday we tried yet another way to connect these two loops. This time it was sort of Edsal Road. It sucked.

I am thinking the least bad route is simply on sidewalks – which stinks. Or maybe just give up on connecting Cameron Run to the CCT – which is what I am sort of thinking.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11348[/ATTACH]

[scoot]

@rcannon100 137580 wrote:

For what it is worth, here is the Strava Heat Map.

I love riding Cameron Run / Holmes Run. And I love riding the VA CCT. Last friday we tried yet another way to connect these two loops. This time it was sort of Edsal Road. It sucked.

I am thinking the least bad route is simply on sidewalks – which stinks. Or maybe just give up on connecting Cameron Run to the CCT – which is what I am sort of thinking.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11348[/ATTACH]

Maybe head further south down to the trail along Franconia-Springfield Parkway?

[scoot]

@creadinger 137576 wrote:

One question I have is that I have always feared Eisenhower Ave, but the 3 times I’ve ridden on it so far it’s been pretty tame. Is that typical? Or are there times when it’s REALLY bad to ride on Eisenhower?

It’s not great. Most of my experience on Eisenhower is the short segment between Clermont and the Cameron Run bridge. As with most places, the vast majority of the drivers are fine, but I have encountered a couple of aggressive ones there. Transitioning between the road and the sidewalk, in order to connect with the trail, also requires some care. Some of the curb cuts are sharp and tend to collect gravel.

[bobco85]

@scoot 137586 wrote:

It’s not great. Most of my experience on Eisenhower is the short segment between Clermont and the Cameron Run bridge. As with most places, the vast majority of the drivers are fine, but I have encountered a couple of aggressive ones there. Transitioning between the road and the sidewalk, in order to connect with the trail, also requires some care. Some of the curb cuts are sharp and tend to collect gravel.

Eisenhower lends itself well to drivers who want to speed because the lanes are wide. I have had a few instances of close passes just west of the Eisenhower/Clermont Connector intersection as the right lane heading westbound narrows from really wide to normal. Other than that, just be careful as you approach Van Dorn St as there are two right turn lanes that drivers will move into. If you’re lucky and in the left lane, you can use a random driveway to access the east Van Dorn sidewalk just before the intersection here https://goo.gl/maps/wQRZcgTxbu42

@scoot 137585 wrote:

Maybe head further south down to the trail along Franconia-Springfield Parkway?

I agree this is a good idea. @rcannon, use this route (I have used it before on rides along the CCT): https://goo.gl/maps/jz7x6HNnnPp I recommend using the loop ramp at the Franconia-Springfield Metro because it can be difficult to get through the Franconia-Springfield Pkwy/Frontier Rd intersections especially on the northeast side where a slip lane crossing is required with sometimes a nearly endless flow of vehicles reluctant to stop (you know, and follow the law by yielding to a crosswalk user).

[scoot]

@bobco85 137587 wrote:

I recommend using the loop ramp at the Franconia-Springfield Metro because it can be difficult to get through the Franconia-Springfield Pkwy/Frontier Rd intersections especially on the northeast side where a slip lane crossing is required with sometimes a nearly endless flow of vehicles reluctant to stop (you know, and follow the law by yielding to a crosswalk user).

Concur. The curb cuts to cross those loop ramps are very awkward too.

On skinny tires, I used to take Joseph Alexander / Metropolitan Center to bypass a poorly maintained part of the FSP trail. I don’t know what the present status of that route is. There is a gate.

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