Multi-use path along Route 123 south from GMU

[CCrew]

There’s one south of the other GMU off 234 that’s not half bad. Runs along Prince William Forest Park.. It’s not a W&OD but it’s enough to get your legs working if you like hills.

There’ also FFX County Parkway, that one runs from Rt 7 all the way to Fair Lakes.

Just a FYI.

[CCrew]

@acc 6416 wrote:

Reason: I just graduated to Very Senior Member, I’m tearing up..

Be careful. Soon you’ll be as old as me.

[Dirt]

I tend to wind through the neighborhoods both south and north rather than stick to the trails. It isn’t as easy, and it helps to have a GPS, or know the area, but it is a much more pleasant ride.

[acc]

Um Dirt, you may not know I am directionally challenged. However, the car noise was making me so jumpy yesterday I bailed out onto some side streets and noticed:
1. They were empty.
2. The scary noise went away.
3. I eventually found a hole in a fence and pushed Spartacus through into a rear parking lot of University Mall.

I think I have a good block of time today so that if (WHEN) I get lost I will have enough time to recover and still pick up my offspring on-time.

But I need to find some routes out there because I plan to ride after class. So thank you.

CCrew you might as well be talking gibberish, and that’s a reflection on me not you, FFX County Parkway? Oh that sounds delightful. I can’t picture it.

[CCrew]

@acc 6428 wrote:

CCrew you might as well be talking gibberish, and that’s a reflection on me not you, FFX County Parkway? Oh that sounds delightful. I can’t picture it.

Fairfax County Parkway. It’s the arch bridge you go over headed west out of Reston. Headed west there’s a trail spur off the W&OD on the right just before the bridge. That’s roughly the halfway point, you can go north/south from there. Not an overly bad ride. North is newer/better condition than south. Only a days ride given your sense of direction

[acc]

I’m willing to go to the store to buy a bushel of breadcrumbs BUT how close are those Indy cars flying down the FFX Parkway? What got to me in the end yesterday was the incessant noise of the very fast cars right over my shoulder. Intellectually, I realized they probably wouldn’t kill me but the sound reminded me of the acoustics in a cheap motel next to the freeway (not that I would know firsthand, but I’ve heard). If I want the Wilson Blvd experience I can get there and the food’s better, at least there’s a trade-off. The best I could do along Route 123 was a shriveled up hot dog at a gas station. Not worth the irritation.

ann

[CCrew]

@acc 6433 wrote:

I’m willing to go to the store to buy a bushel of breadcrumbs BUT how close are those Indy cars flying down the FFX Parkway?

Close in some places, on the other side of a concrete wall in others. Varies. South side has more cracks and trail pops because it’s older

[mstone]

If they’d just pave it once per decade or so it would be pretty good. They seem to pave the actual parkway every couple of years, is it so unreasonable to just send a little bit of the asphalt 20 feet to the right?

[CCrew]

@mstone 6475 wrote:

If they’d just pave it once per decade or so it would be pretty good. They seem to pave the actual parkway every couple of years, is it so unreasonable to just send a little bit of the asphalt 20 feet to the right?

Totally agree. Not to mention the way it just kind of dies at Fair Lakes. Heck, put bike lanes in and run it to the shopping center. It can be tricky to dodge cars in that area, most are flying

[mstone]

There’s technically a route past fair lakes: you have to divert on monument, follow west ox, and pick it back up at 29. It’s kinda silly, but I assume they couldn’t figure out how to work the intersection. And, of course, they’re not fixing that with the new interchange.

[Author]

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