To get out of IAD airport

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’m part of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, a bicycle advocacy group for Fairfax County (near IAD). Here’s a description of riding from Dulles Airport (IAD) to the W&OD (Washington & Old Dominion) Trail. The W&OD is a multi-use (Pedestrian & Bicycle) trail that can take you to DC.

http://fabb-bikes.blogspot.com/2011/08/riding-to-dulles-airport.html

Enjoy your visit!

[DismalScientist]

The W&OD trail is just a few miles north of the airport. I don’t know if you can access the trail easily from the airport, but I would suggest using Google maps to get bicycling directions. Take the trail about 25 miles to the east. Take either the Custis trail from Bluemont park to the Roosevelt or Key Bridge crossings into Washington or take the W&OD down to Shirlington. Get on the Four Mile Run trail to the river and the Mount Vernon trail north to the 14th Street bridge into Washington. For these later manuvers, check out the Arlington bike map found here: http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/maps-rides/. Other area maps are located at that site.

[PotomacCyclist]

I assume you watched the Tour de France in person, didn’t you? I was in Paris on two different occasions during summer months but I never saw the Tour. I didn’t follow cycling back then, unfortunately.

[KLizotte]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

There isn’t a single, continuous route from DC to NYC; however, there is an effort underway to make such a route. The East Coast Greenway website can help you plan your trip from DC since it provides recommended routes.

When are you coming? July and August features really hot and humid weather. If you can hold off till autumn, you’ll have a more comfortable trip.

[Bilsko]

@KLizotte 26333 wrote:

Hi, welcome to the forum.

There isn’t a single, continuous route from DC to NYC; however, there is an effort underway to make such a route. The East Coast Greenway website can help you plan your trip from DC since it provides recommended routes.

When are you coming? July and August features really hot and humid weather. If you can hold off till autumn, you’ll have a more comfortable trip.

If its any help, here is the route that I took from NYC to DC back in 2009 when I did the Climate Ride. (In reverse order, starting with the final section into DC:

1 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/9844954 DC to Baltimore, MD
2 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/9843952 Drumore, PA to Baltimore, MD
3 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/9843556 Drumore, PA to Valley Forge, PA
4 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/9843162 Valley Forge, PA to Princeton, NJ
5 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/9842068 Starting from Princeton, NJ – Ending in Atlantic Highlands, NJ (We took the ferry from NYC to Atlantic Highlands in NY)

A few notes:
I don’t take any credit for the ride organization or route selection – that all rests with the Climate Ride Organizers, Geraldine C. and Caeli Q.
The total route was around 300m in 5 days. It could easily be done in 2 or 3 days.
Most riding was on backroads and sidestreets with a small amount of trail riding. There aren’t any trails going all the way.

[KS1G]

The info in the FABB post is good, but a little dated. According to Google Maps, the extension of Sterling Blvd over Rt 28 is open, resulting in this route to the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) trail. http://goo.gl/maps/mwXu Old Ox Rd (Virginia Route 606) has an unpaved shoulder and fast traffic, especially at AM & PM rush hours. This route avoids it entirely. Sterling Blvd also has heavy traffic heading away from Rt 28, but the section near 28 should be manageable. I modified the default route to get into the adjacent industrial park and use a paved side trail that connects to the W&OD (with about 10-20 meters on the adjacent unpaved horse path) just east of Sterling Blvd. If you prefer the FABB route – here is the modification on Google maps http://goo.gl/maps/E7RI That section of 606 is newer and better for riding vs. the one east into Herndon. Once on the W&OD, you will pass through several towns and have many opportunitities for side stops for food, water, etc. At about Mile 4, you can switch to the Custis Trail, paralleling Interstate 66, into the Rosslyn section of Arlington and over the bridges into Washington DC.

I do not know if the bus service from the terminal uses buses equipped with bike racks. If they do, the routes will go to areas with good bicycle access to the W&OD and surrounding roads. The other option would be a short taxi ride or hotel courtesy shuttle that would take you and your bike, just to get away from the airport and into a more rideable community.

If you have the opportunity and interest to visit the Smithsonian Institution’s Air & Space Museum Annex at Dulles airport, the museum is bicycle accessible from Centreville Rd, Wall Rd, and Air & Space Museum Parkway. There is no direct access from the airport other than via Rt 28, which is not rideable. Also, most of the boundary roads inside the airport property that appear on Google’s map are not open to the public and do not connect to the surrounding road network. The highway entrance and the route via Airport Dr & Ariane Way are the ways available to the public.

Have a great trip!

[GuyContinental]

@KS1G 26458 wrote:

I do not know if the bus service from the terminal uses buses equipped with bike racks. If they do, the routes will go to areas with good bicycle access to the W&OD and surrounding roads. The other option would be a short taxi ride or hotel courtesy shuttle that would take you and your bike, just to get away from the airport and into a more rideable community.

This is a pretty good suggestion- just getting away from the terminal might be an adventure otherwise. The “Dulles to Dulles Connector” bus leaves every 45 minutes M-F from curb 2E on the lowest level (LINK to schedule) and will be a short ride to within a easy mile of the WO&D trail. Not positive that you can take a bike on it though A cab to Sterling Blvd and the WO&D would cost under $10 I’d think.

I cross Sterling Rd on the WO&D every day… it never actually crossed my mind to RIDE on that thing yikes… doable, but maybe not the best idea fresh off a plane with jet lag and in Loudoun County (shudder… what an intro to American driver/cyclist interaction!)

[DismalScientist]

If you want to take the bus, you can ride the 5A all the way to Rosslyn or L’Enfant Plaza. Just stick your bike on the rack in front.

[Certifried]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy a safe and enjoyable ride!

I don’t know how much of value this is, but Google maps has some pretty decent data on cycling around here. Hopefully it can help fill in some holes, if you have any, in your routes.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@DismalScientist 26467 wrote:

If you want to take the bus, you can ride the 5A all the way to Rosslyn or L’Enfant Plaza. Just stick your bike on the rack in front.

I wish someone had told me this before I dropped a few billion on a new train.

[GuyContinental]

@DismalScientist 26467 wrote:

If you want to take the bus, you can ride the 5A all the way to Rosslyn or L’Enfant Plaza. Just stick your bike on the rack in front.

Blaspheeeemer! Perfectly good trail only a short trip through some of the worst cycling infrastructure in the state and you recommend a bus all the way in!!!

(Kidding- 5a is a good bet)

[DismalScientist]

@GuyContinental 26471 wrote:

Blaspheeeemer! Perfectly good trail only a short trip through some of the worst cycling infrastructure in the state and you recommend a bus all the way in!!!

(Kidding- 5a is a good bet)

The trip all the way in would probably take as long as the local bus route to something more “bikeable.” That said, I would likely ride the bike to the trail and bike in.

[mstone]

@Certifried 26468 wrote:

I don’t know how much of value this is, but Google maps has some pretty decent data on cycling around here. Hopefully it can help fill in some holes, if you have any, in your routes.

The problem with a place like IAD is that I don’t think google has any idea where the fences are.

[pushbike]

@PotomacCyclist 26323 wrote:

I assume you watched the Tour de France in person, didn’t you? I was in Paris on two different occasions during summer months but I never saw the Tour. I didn’t follow cycling back then, unfortunately.

Hi!

I went to watch the arrival in Paris, but you see better on TV. The fact is then you share the passion and excitement.
90% of British flags and cyclist from everywhere! I really enjoyed it.

I hope you moved by bike when you came to Paris?

Christophe.

[pushbike]

Hi all!

Woaw! Thanks you all for all these precious informations!!
I need time to compile all of it now…

I hope I’ll be able to help you on this side of the Atlantic.

Christophe.

[Author]

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