Metro DC singletrack

[drevil]

Fort Dupont is the only thing that comes to mind. I’ve done it a few times, but if Ray’s listening, he can give better advice since he used to lead rides there.

[hozn]

Every trailhead I have seen in RCP is well marked as off-limits to bikes …. Certainly if you rode through the whole park on a bike you must have passed dozens of signs?

There are Cabin John trails, I believe, though I haven’t ridden them.

There some singlegrack in McLean (Pimmit Run Stream Valley). It’s a Fairfax nature trail.

Bikes are off limits on the American Heritage Trail, FYI.

Wakefield is close on the VA side. From within the city Rosaryville probably not bad either.

This is a tough time of year to ride, though, as trail conditions generally are not good until the hard freezes in deeper winter. … Or Thursday/Friday, apparently.

[hellocharlie]

@hozn 150340 wrote:

Every trailhead I have seen in RCP is well marked as off-limits to bikes …. Certainly if you rode through the whole park on a bike you must have passed dozens of signs?

There are Cabin John trails, I believe, though I haven’t ridden them.

There some singlegrack in McLean (Pimmit Run Stream Valley). It’s a Fairfax nature trail.

Bikes are off limits on the American Heritage Trail, FYI.

Wakefield is close on the VA side. From within the city Rosaryville probably not bad either.

This is a tough time of year to ride, though, as trail conditions generally are not good until the hard freezes in deeper winter. … Or Thursday/Friday, apparently.

You’re right, there are indeed signs. I noticed one riding a section last night (quite small though!) Judging by my track, I joined at odd sections, so no wonder I missed them.

Thanks for the suggestions. Heading to McLean then NW today.

Out of interest, what’s the deal with the trails in the scrub that run parallel to the C&O starting at Chain Bridge (maybe a little before) and head north. Great fun to ride, but every single root and rock has been marked up with luminous orange paint. For runners? I’ve haven’t seen any signage.

[drevil]

@hellocharlie 150342 wrote:

You’re right, there are indeed signs. I noticed one riding a section last night (quite small though!) Judging by my track, I joined at odd sections, so no wonder I missed them.

Thanks for the suggestions. Heading to McLean then NW today.

Out of interest, what’s the deal with the trails in the scrub that run parallel to the C&O starting at Chain Bridge (maybe a little before) and head north. Great fun to ride, but every single root and rock has been marked up with luminous orange paint. For runners? I’ve haven’t seen any signage.

Well, the best resource I’ve used for finding legal singletrack is https://www.mtbproject.com . It’ll show you maps, reviews, profiles, pictures taken by riders, and even downloadable GPS maps (which you can use on your phone to follow, even if you don’t get cell signal).

[drevil]

@hellocharlie 150342 wrote:

You’re right, there are indeed signs. I noticed one riding a section last night (quite small though!) Judging by my track, I joined at odd sections, so no wonder I missed them.

Thanks for the suggestions. Heading to McLean then NW today.

Out of interest, what’s the deal with the trails in the scrub that run parallel to the C&O starting at Chain Bridge (maybe a little before) and head north. Great fun to ride, but every single root and rock has been marked up with luminous orange paint. For runners? I’ve haven’t seen any signage.

Well, the best resource I’ve used for finding legal singletrack is https://www.mtbproject.com . It’ll show you maps, reviews, profiles, pictures taken by riders, and even downloadable GPS maps (which you can use on your phone to follow, even if you don’t get cell signal).

[hellocharlie]

@drevil 150344 wrote:

Well, the best resource I’ve used for finding legal singletrack is https://www.mtbproject.com . It’ll show you maps, reviews, profiles, pictures taken by riders, and even downloadable GPS maps (which you can use on your phone to follow, even if you don’t get cell signal).

Thanks for that, I’ll take a look. If I happen to stumble upon anything worthwhile while I’m out and about I’ll make sure to share the GPS track.

[hozn]

@hellocharlie 150342 wrote:

Out of interest, what’s the deal with the trails in the scrub that run parallel to the C&O starting at Chain Bridge (maybe a little before) and head north. Great fun to ride, but every single root and rock has been marked up with luminous orange paint. For runners? I’ve haven’t seen any signage.

Yeah, I don’t know that there are many (any?) signs for those trails, but I think they’re off-limits to bicycles, based on:

Quote:

Bicycle riding is permitted only on the towpath.

from https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/hikingandbiking.htm

[Raymo853]

Hello. Yes I was leading rides in Fort Dupont for a long time. They are open to bikes. The link below is to a Ride with GPS route of all the trails.

Folks from DCMTB took over when I moved. They may be leading rides.

The biggest problems over there are trash, poison ivy and the road crossings. Often it is hard to find the next entrance. The terrain is not super challanging, but a great in DC escape. Some of the sections are amazing: huge trees, lots of deer, turkeys and no visable buildings nor roads.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/16457505

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[ctankcycles]

The Cross-County Trail in Fairfax County starts near the parking area at Difficult Run in Great Falls (VA side) and makes its way into the southern part of the county. It’s broken up in sections but has a fair amount of shredable singletrack. 40 miles point to point.

[hellocharlie]

Those both sound great – thanks fellas. Spoke with a guy today about Fort Dupont and he said the area is kinda sketchy – is that right? If it’s just kids having a smoke that’s fine, I’d just rather not be chased out of the woods by some lunatic huffing bath salts a la New Jersey.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@hellocharlie 150435 wrote:

Those both sound great – thanks fellas. Spoke with a guy today about Fort Dupont and he said the area is kinda sketchy – is that right? If it’s just kids having a smoke that’s fine, I’d just rather not be chased out of the woods by some lunatic huffing bath salts a la New Jersey.

I’ve never ridden the Ft. DuPont trails, but I’ve ridden through on the roads and it is definitely NOT sketchy. My guess is that the guy was making a general stereotype about the areas east of the river (often incorrectly and generically referred to as “Anacostia”). There definitely are areas I might avoid walking through at night, but that area gets a bad rap and is actually quite fun to ride around. Honestly, my spidey sense gets a better workout in Columbia Heights than in a lot of areas east of the river.

[hellocharlie]

@TwoWheelsDC 150436 wrote:

I’ve never ridden the Ft. DuPont trails, but I’ve ridden through on the roads and it is definitely NOT sketchy. My guess is that the guy was making a general stereotype about the areas east of the river (often incorrectly and generically referred to as “Anacostia”). There definitely are areas I might avoid walking through at night, but that area gets a bad rap and is actually quite fun to ride around. Honestly, my spidey sense gets a better workout in Columbia Heights than in a lot of areas east of the river.

That’s good to know. I only ask because some creep chased me along the CCT from that bridge on River Road(?) going south through Little Falls until I bailed on to the creek trails to lose him. I’ll head down to Dupont next week!

[Raymo853]

@hellocharlie 150435 wrote:

Those both sound great – thanks fellas. Spoke with a guy today about Fort Dupont and he said the area is kinda sketchy – is that right? If it’s just kids having a smoke that’s fine, I’d just rather not be chased out of the woods by some lunatic huffing bath salts a la New Jersey.

The most of have encountered is kids smoking or being amorous. Yes some of the areas nearby are sketchey, was once threatened with a gun about 5 blocks away, but the same thing routinely happens in EVERY section of DC.

I would not recomend riding there later in the day. Weekend afternoons are pretty good.

BTW, if you are looking to buy a house in DC, jump on anything near the south west of the park. Those places are still ok priced and going to sky rocket after the Busboy opens.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Greenbelt]

I ride mostly at Fairland, which is outside the Beltway but only a 6 mile road/sidewalk ride from Greenbelt Metro station. (There’s a sidewalk/shoulder salmon on the west side of Gunpowder Road, so you don’t have to ride in traffic this whole route except when crossing Route 1.)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18125664

[Author]

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