Mountain Bike Trails inside the beltway nearish to Arlington?

[Jason]

Hey guys. I am a mid-experienced road biker (I go about 58 miles a week on the loop, average speed 15mph) living in Arlington (Courthouse) and looking to possibly branch out to mountain biking. I am getting a little tired of the Arlington Loop and its crazy joggers on weekends. My limitation is that I have basically zero experience in mountain biking and I would like to start on trails that are a maximum 15 minute drive (weekend drive times) from where I live. Soooo:

Are there any trails near me for a beginner?
How crowded are they on the weekends?
Are they easy to get to the trail heads by car? by bike?

Any answers and helpful advice would be REALLY appreciated. Trying to figure out if this is doable before I go in and buy a bike. Thanks guys!!!!
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Topic

[Harry Meatmotor]

Wakastink/Wakefield+Accotink

Not too, too far to ride to the trails from ArlCo. Slower on knobbly tires, tho.

[rcannon100]

Wednesdays at Wakefield
Tuesday Moderate Rides at Wakefield

[bentbike33]

I used to string together MTB rides using the W&OD and the parallel gravel bridle path that has little singletrack trails splitting off, but this is all outside the beltway. There are some trails in Eudora and Northside Parks in Vienna. Further west in Reston is the Cross County Trail (north of W&OD, and south of W&OD which connects to more singletrack in the common areas behind the houses). Even further west is Fairfax Lake Park via the Difficult Run Trail which goes all the way to Great Falls (when you’re ready for it).

[Vicegrip]

495 south to West on 236 Little river turnpike west turn Left onto Woodlark. Take Woodlark to where it takes a sharp right and turns into Mockingbird Dr and park at the trailhead. This trail head that puts you right onto the CCT and the quiet end of the MTN trails without all the parking lot people.

[hozn]

There isn’t much inside the Beltway. Pimmit Run Stream Valley is another option that is easy to ride to and very tame; however, it isn’t designed around bikes. It is a fun place to go with the kids.

Lake Fairfax and the CCT from W&OD is a pleasant ride and fun trails, but Wakefield is only 8 mile bike ride (less pleasant ride to get there, admittedly) so seems like the best choice.

I would also be bored of riding Arl loop that much! Maybe join up and do some group rides to learn new on-street routes. Nothing wrong with mountain biking to change it up, but the good trails usually require a drive and in the end the number of MTB miles are miniscule compared to road. We have lots of great on-street routes in the county not to mention Beach Dr in DC, MacAurthur Blvd and tributary roads, River Rd. etc.

That all being said, I think I am going to do some mountain biking in Lake Fairfax tomorrow on the way to work. It may be impractical, but it has always been my favorite form of cycling.

[Sunyata]

As far as I know, there is only one MTB trail inside the beltway and that is Fort Dupont in DC. I have never ridden there, so I can not really give an opinion on the state of the trails. However, I hear it is pretty smooth and beginner friendly. Raymo can probably tell you more about that one.

Virginia:

• The “best” beginner trail in the area is Laurel Hill in Lorton. It is a quick drive down 395/95 and easy to get to from Arlington.
• In the same area is Meadowood, which has a nice easy outer loop and a couple of fun, slightly more technical inner trails.
• Fountainhead is also pretty close to that area as well and has three stacked loops and a lot of punchy climbs.
• Also in VA is Wakefield, which was mentioned above. The trails are pretty easy and it is simple (not during rush hour) to get to from Arlington. I keep hearing that it is easy to ride to, but have not tried it yet.
• Just a few miles down the CCT from Wakefield is Accotink, which has a lot of tangled trails (it is easy to get “lost”) that are super fun.
• Lake Fairfax in Reston has several miles of amazingly fun trails. It is a little confusing to navigate until you realize that all trails lead to either the campground or the soccer fields.
• There are several other trail systems in NOVA, but those are the most popular.

Maryland:

• Rosaryville is very easy to get to (495 towards Baltimore) and the outer loop is super fun and flowy. A lot of folks ride the outer loop on cross bikes.
• Fairland is also pretty easy to get to (95N). I have only ridden there once, but the trails were pretty decent.
• Montgomery County has some incredible trail systems. Schaeffer Farm is one of the most popular and is fairly beginner friendly.
• There are also several other trail systems in MD.

Here is a great link to MTBProject’s DC area trail system.

In addition, the local MTB advocacy group is a great reference for group rides, where to ride, trail conditions, etc. Check it out here.

And if you ever want a guide to show you the trails or help with some skills, let me know. I will be happy to show you around!

[Author]

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