January 2022 Road and Trail Conditions

[Meh]

Talking of Holmes Run right next to Dora Kelly – have they removed the giant snags across the downcreek portion of trail? Rode through there just after dark and almost got brained.

[Judd]

MVT in good shape between Four Mile Run and LBJ. A little bit of slushy ice on the bridges near the airport. I cleaned off the flooding debris on Four Mile Run as it joins the MVT.

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[Alcova cyclist]

(as of 4pm Monday afternoon)

W&OD in good shape from Columbia Pike to Benjamin Banneker park. A little icy on some of the bridges, but all had at least a narrow ice-free path through. Otherwise mostly clear edge-to-edge.

I started to cross the new W&OD bridge over 29, but decided it was too icy for my taste and turned back around. (I didn’t take the W&OD from Banneker to the 29 bridge, I took Van Buren to 19th… so no idea if that stretch of the W&OD right along 66 that gets little/no sun is bad or not.)

[DrP]

Rode an Arlington Loop this morning with 4MRT instead of W&OD where they overlap. Generally clear, but a couple of trouble spots:
Custis:
* I-66 Glebe exit overpass was frozen melt, i.e., smoother ice, on downhill side, but I expect that to disappear as temps and sun appear.
*Overpass along I-66 over spout run was the usual frozen melt, but passable.
MVT:
*Trollheim was remarkably clear, not perfectly clear, but much better than I expected. Wood side to side much of the time and the snowy/icy patches had trails through them – ALl but two were to the wood and those two weren’t long sections and could be ridden over.
*Airport bridges had southbound lanes clear except at southern ends, but short and passable.
4MRT:
*ford just north of Arlington Mill completely flooded (the arrangement of boulders has been bad lately and seems to get this one blocked after every rain)
*trail along/through Glenn Carlyn park is crunchy with footprints (lots of tarmack, but logs of ice too) – expect to melt as temp rises
*trail just north of rt-50 (the hill) is crunchy with footprints – expect to melt as temp rises (north side gets little sun, however)

[wheelswings]

This is simply a note of gratitude to those who take the effort to post these reports on trail conditions. Even when there’s not been a major new weather event, I am always wondering what has melted or frozen over, and to what extent I should stick to the roads or venture onto the trails …pick your poison, cars or ice or both! I really appreciate the updates. w&w

[Greenbelt]

ARTS Anacostia River Trail System pretty much all clear in Prince George’s county. https://www.strava.com/activities/6544817112 @PGParks has done some nice drainage work where the NE Branch trail goes down nearest the river — those ponds are now mere puddles. But there are still several puddle or runoff spots, particularly near the CSX train bridge, that could freeze overnight. And there’s one spot on the long ART causeway where it goes under Route 50 that’s still icy enough that you need to slow way down or Flintstone it through.
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[melancholera]

A couple highlights from my commute today:
* Wood trail bridge across Holmes Run at the tip of Lake Barcroft, parallel to Columbia Pike, has a one-shovel-width ice-free path carved through it (bless the kind person who did this). Paved path up towards Bailey’s Crossroads is clear; other direction is still full of crunchy footprints and black ice in the afternoon. Photos are from the morning.
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* Glen Carlyn Dr has lots of plowed snow heaps in the bike lane from Leesburg Pike to Rt 50
* Bluemont Junction Trail is completely clear from W&OD to Fairfax Dr
* Fairfax Dr has lots of plowed snow heaps and random ice patches in the bike lane (both directions) between 66 and Clarendon

[lordofthemark]

Four Mile Run Trail from Shirlington to Airport was fine, some wet spots that may freeze up tonight? MVT fine, except for an ice patch (easily avoided) on the east side of the airport bridge just south of Gravelly Point. 14th Street bridge side path was similar, several ice patches on the shadowed downstream side.

Sidewalk by the Jefferson, by the fish market fine, as was the WharfleTrack. Eye Street bike lane much better than similar bike lanes in Alexandria were yesterday. There was some snow left in the NJ ave bike lane right across from USDOT.

Highlight of the ride in was seeing another bike commuter getting ready to show her pass to the guard at the garage entrance just as I was going it. For those 30 seconds, it was car commuters to USDOT 2, bike commuters, 2.

[consularrider]

Streets in NYC are horrible with churned up “brown sugar” snow even after plowing. The Central Park loop has been plowed as have many of the pedestrian paths and was fairly easy riding with knobby tires.

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[Alcova cyclist]

Rode W&OD from Columbia Pike to Rte 7 bridge in Falls Church Saturday 1/29 just at sunset.

From CP to Custis – some bare pavement, but long stretches of frozen edge to edge including all the bridges. The good news is that is was mostly a thin layer of crunchy snow and relatively little smooth ice. Not really enough snow to refreeze into ruts. A few patches of refrozen melt that were a little slick, but overall probably comfortable on anything other than skinny slicks.

From Custis to Banneker a bit better, except for the last hill just south of Banneker Park – it seems like the snow sweeper didn’t handle the hill too well, and left a series of icy 2″ moguls. Use caution here.

W&OD through Falls Church was similar to CP to Custis. Some bare pavement, but mostly a thin layer of crunchy snow. Bridge over 29 was crunchy snow 80% edge to edge. Bridge over 7 looked the same, but I turned back south at that point.

[Judd]

MVT in Arlington had some black ice this morning but was almost all gone by the afternoon.

[Boomer Cycles]

Rode the Arlington Loop today on my gravel bike with 40 mm knobbies at 50 psi.

MTV from 4MR to Key Bridge: clear except for the largely frozen Trollheim boardwalk with a thin crust of crunchy snow over the ice fields. Only good for those hold can hold a steady line.

Custis Trail from Key Bridge to W&OD junction: ice sheets, most with thin crust of crunchy powder, with lots of moguls, wherever the sun does not shine. Spout Run bridge frozen. Confident riders only; fat tires at lower end of pressure range help!

W&OD from Custis to Shirlington Trailhead: largely clear and much better shape than Custis, though with some ice sheets where sun does not shine and frozen footbridges. I rode all of it with no slipping or sliding around.

4MR from Shirlington to MVT @DCA: clear!

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[melancholera]

The path paralleling Columbia Pike (with a shunt off to Holmes Run Trail) at the tip of Lake Barcroft is a gnarly chunky ice sheet — nearly wiped out this morning on my commuter bike with 30mm Gatorskins. Photo is from about halfway up on the Bailey’s Crossroads side, but the Annandale side is about the same.

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