Potomac Heritage Trail: What can be ridden?

[Tim Kelley]

I’m not sure about what is officially designated, but I’ve done some training jogs/runs along the river (Potomac Overlook Park to Chain Bridge) and it would be pretty tough to ride a bike there.

Between super soft sand, large rock scrambles where you’d have to do some extended CX shoulder action, and dodging people fishing, I don’t think it would be all that enjoyable of a ride.

[Dirt]

That’s similar to what the trail next to the river between Great Falls and Riverbend was before that was closed.

I forgot Potomac Overlook. That was at one time in the very early 1990s open to bikes. It didn’t last long.

Fun place to hike and run though. Is the tea house in the middle still open from time to time?

[bkclmbkyk]

You can ride the Old Carriage Road and Ridge Trail within Great Falls Park. They are not technically parts of the PHT, I think, but there are some spots with nice views of the gorge.

It’s not a very long ride, 2 miles or so at most, but you can connect to River Bend to about double it.

[Dirt]

@bkclmbkyk 1674 wrote:

You can ride the Old Carriage Road and Ridge Trail within Great Falls Park. They are not technically parts of the PHT, I think, but there are some spots with nice views of the gorge.

It’s not a very long ride, 2 miles or so at most, but you can connect to River Bend to about double it.

We did that as part of a ride with the Cross County Trail and Lake Fairfax a few weeks ago. It is a nice loop. Riverbend can get kinda muddy thoough. I like the new route on Difficult Run before entering Great Falls. It moved the trail way up away from the creek so that it stays dry.

[Bilsko]

*sadface*

I was kind of hoping to ride the PHT from the MVT turnoff up to Chain Bridge as an alt-commute home this afternoon. Looks like its off-limits to bikes along that stretch. I’m sure I would have learned that the extra-disappointing way reading the trailhead sign when I got there.

So far, my main out-of-the-way routes to get home (from West End up to MacArthur Blvd) are:
1) West End–>Hains Point–>14thSt Bridge–>MVT West–>Key Bridge–>CCT–>Home
2) West End–>Hains Point–>14St Bridge–>MVT East–>4MRun–>W&OD–>Custist–>Key Bridge–>CCT–>Home
3) West End–>Rock Creek Pkway–>Beech Dr–>Georgetown Branch Trail–>CCT–>Home

Looking for more detours to add to my portfolio.

[rcannon100]

I have accidentally biked the PHT from Roosevelt Island to Windy Run before. I carried my bike most of the way – particularly up Windy Run (it consists of a stair case up the cliff).

I have hiked most to lots of the PHT from Roosevelt to…. not really sure… Balls Run. The section inside the beltway, particularly inside Chain Bridge, is simply magnificent. Not as hard as Billy Goat A – but harder than Billy Goat B or C. Pretty much only dog walkers, fisher guys, or the occasional lost person.

The trail does go from rugged granite cliff – to – very soft, going to collapse under your foot, river bed – to – stream crossings. Not a good place for bikes.

[Bilsko]

@rcannon100 36772 wrote:

The trail does go from rugged granite cliff – to – very soft, going to collapse under your foot, river bed – to – stream crossings. Not a good place for bikes.

Certainly sounds like it. Guess I’ll need to come up with an alternate alternate route for today’s ride home.

[vvill]

I have hiked Scotts Run with the family a couple times but yeah I seem to recall bikes aren’t allowed. More’s the pity, as it’s fairly wide and well drained, and they have those awesome stepping stone creek crossing photo-ops. I’ve biked Great Falls a couple times on my 26″ MTB, it was fine although a bit boring I thought.

[Author]

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