ISO Suggestions for Takoma Park/Foggy Bottom Commute

[sg2243]

I am starting to commute regularly between Takoma Park (home) and Foggy Bottom (work) with a preschooler in a trailer (read: about 60 extra lbs). Foggy Bottom is generally downhill from TakPark, so getting in in the AM isn’t too difficult, but I’m looking for the easiest (read: least hilly) way back with kid & trailer in tow in the afternoon. Preference in order: 1) least hilly; 2) marked bike lanes; 3) bike-friendly side-streets; 4) high-speed, high-traffic streets. So far, it seems that going up 18th street through Adams Morgan is the least hilly (compared to 11th street). There are 2 significant hills on Kansas: at Allison and Emerson. Any way to avoid/minimize these?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Topic

[eminva]

I assume you already ruled out 15th->Florida->14th as too steep?

One alternative that would add miles, but smooth out the hills would be to ride across town, pick up the Metropolitan Branch Trail near Union Station and head north on that. Other than that, I can’t think of any way to minimize the hills.

Good luck — that’s a long haul with a heavy trailer!

Liz

[dasgeh]

I don’t know the route, but I find playing with options on ridewithgps.com to be helpful in finding ways to minimize hills. By watching the graph at the bottom, you can figure out the topography, which may help you with your search.

Good luck. And good on you for biking with a kid. You may want to come out to the KIDICAL MASS ARLINGTON RIDE THIS SUNDAY. 10:30am Alcova Heights Park Arlington

[americancyclo]

I used Strava’s new “Create Route” feature to map this. They have two toggle buttons for “Minimize Elevation” and “Popularity” I turned Min Elevation ON and Popularity OFF. Let me know if you can see the link:
http://www.strava.com/routes/21319

[Terpfan]

I would imagine Rock Creek Park following Beach Drive up to Military to Piney Branch would be the least hilly. The only problem is I don’t think there is a connection from RCP up to Military. Maybe via Joyce, but I think that has a not so nice hill. Flip side, this route avoids most of the big hills and leaves you with really just with one long medium one (essentially from Beach up to Piney Branch and GA would almost all uphill).

[eminva]

@americancyclo 63613 wrote:

I used Strava’s new “Create Route” feature to map this. They have two toggle buttons for “Minimize Elevation” and “Popularity” I turned Min Elevation ON and Popularity OFF. Let me know if you can see the link:
http://www.strava.com/routes/21319

I like this in theory, but it includes a long stretch on Georgia Avenue — probably not a fun adventure towing a kid in a trailer. Probably not a fun adventure period. But there are probably parellel side streets; this could be used as a starting point.

@Terpfan 63629 wrote:

I would imagine Rock Creek Park following Beach Drive up to Military to Piney Branch would be the least hilly. The only problem is I don’t think there is a connection from RCP up to Military. Maybe via Joyce, but I think that has a not so nice hill. Flip side, this route avoids most of the big hills and leaves you with really just with one long medium one (essentially from Beach up to Piney Branch and GA would almost all uphill).

Getting out of the park is the problem. Don’t know how fit the OP is or wants to become, but doing that every day could make for some Olympic level conditioning. Also, the side path is kind of impassable north of Broad Branch, so he’d have to ride in the road. He could exit at Blagden and go up that and take Colorado the rest of the way . . . come to think of it, that might not be too bad. I would recommend the OP test this route without the kid first, though.

Liz

[dasgeh]

@Terpfan 63629 wrote:

I would imagine Rock Creek Park following Beach Drive up to Military to Piney Branch would be the least hilly. The only problem is I don’t think there is a connection from RCP up to Military. Maybe via Joyce, but I think that has a not so nice hill. Flip side, this route avoids most of the big hills and leaves you with really just with one long medium one (essentially from Beach up to Piney Branch and GA would almost all uphill).

Having ridden the “trail” in RCP from P to the Zoo recently, I wouldn’t send a cyclist on it. The “detour” they have for the part that was deterioriating is shameful (gravel, very steep, no fun to push a bike with a kid in a trailer up) and so much of the path is in bad shape, it’s really not a good idea. It would be a very bumpy ride for the kid. Plus, that path along the bridge before the tunnel is too narrow for two bikes, and with a trailer, you’d have to yell for anyone coming at you to stop.

I think NPS should really be ashamed of that path.

[americancyclo]

@eminva 63651 wrote:

I like this in theory, but it includes a long stretch on Georgia Avenue — probably not a fun adventure towing a kid in a trailer. Probably not a fun adventure period. But there are probably parellel side streets; this could be used as a starting point.

7th instead of Georgia. 376 ft elevation gain
http://www.strava.com/routes/21319

[mstone]

@dasgeh 63658 wrote:

I think NPS should really be ashamed of that path.

Improving the pedestrian facilities would interfere with their chartered purpose of maintaining the natural setting of the freeway through the park.

[stickymcbiscuit]

Hi!

I commute regularly from TakPk to near the White House. I’ve been doing it for about eight years now, and through trial and error I’ve found it’s best to go home through Howard University and up Seventh Street. You get a bike lane along the resevoir and up Seventh, and the traffic circle on Kansas Ave. is relatively mellow. Once you hit that traffic circle, stay on Kansas Ave. I generally turn left on Third Street – no bike lane, but relatively little traffic and wide street. That puts you at Coolidge High, a few blocks short of Takoma Metro.

Going in, take the same route but turn off Kansas onto Fifth Street, before you hit the traffic circle.

Downtown you have a few options, but there’s more traffic. I generally go by the 9:30 club to Vermont, then Logan Circle to 13th. But I wouldn’t do that with a toddler trailer. Perhaps Ninth Street south to R, where there’s a bike lane, and take that west.

Best of luck!

[Author]

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