Trail Conditions — January 2014

[brendan]

I am disappointed that Dirt hasn’t posted any selfies showing him commuting with the bike snowplow on the W&OD this morning.

[dbb]

FMR trail OK where there has been no foot traffic. A couple of inches in some places

[sjclaeys]

The WOD between East Falls Church and past the Custis intersection is a combination of deeper snow and ruts. My 35s studded tires did ok in the ruts but are not wide enough for the snow.

[dbb]

FMR by the WWTP at about 0700. I was first!

Up near Shirlington it is getting a little bumpy.

I was on studded 35s and had no problem with traction but some of the chunks from the foot traffic kicked me from side to side.

[MoCo_Cyclist]

I normally don’t have good things to say about Montgomery County’s bicycle infrastructure, but I was pleasantly surprised to the Millennium Trail “cleared” of snow this morning.

The path over I-270 in Rockville was not cleared, but the fresh powdery snow made the trail passable.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4528[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]4529[/ATTACH]

[Mikey]

1-2 feet high snow drifts on MVT near Humpback bridge. 14th street bridge is passable, but there is a 6-12 inch high drift covering much of the center of the pathway. The path down from the 14th to the Jefferson is not good, fun coming down hill with some momentum but not rideable going back up. Had to bail out of the sidewalk around East Basin Drive, then onto the road way to get down along the south east waterfront. Waterstreet was a sheet of ice. All-in-all not a bad ride

[Steve O]

@americancyclo 73344 wrote:

Rode in on my 26×1.5″ schwalbe marathons, could have used bit more grip, but no spills and a few fun slides.

W&OD from Falls Church: Crispy and bumpy, look out for icy footprints and previous tire tracks.
Custis: Pretty much the same, take it slow on two sisters
Key Bridge was covered in salt and slush
M St: a few icy patches near 30th st. take the lane
Back side of the white house is a little icy on the smooth stones
Penn ave bike lanes were too icy and frozen to be safe
Dirt path on the mall was REALLY FUN!!! Particularly with the wind at my back and snowdrifts blowing just a few mph than i was traveling, it made for a really nice morning

I rode only the section between Patrick Henry and EFC going westbound (to the metro), against the wind–on my 3-speed toodler bike. Snow was deep and there were minor ruts underneath from footprints. Did not fall over, but had to go really slow (headwind assured that). I do not have studded tires, so was unable to get enough traction to get up the Brandymore Castle rise and had to walk it up.

Seems like with enough ambition it’s possible–especially with a MTB and/or studded tires. But you’ll get tired. Good luck!

[Phatboing]

The W&OD between EFC and Gallows has been torn up pretty well by footprints – that’s going to turn into a big icy fustercluck in the next couple of days. Today, not so good for the 37mm studded tires – I think I’d have been better off on my tubby-tired Troll.

I decided to bail at Shreve and take surface streets instead. The Gallows Road bike lane is not clear, but not horrible either.

[guga31bb]

I wasn’t brave enough for Custis today so I went down Lee Hwy, which was very well cleared. Key Bridge wasn’t bad, either.

Bar mitts are nice but bar mitts + cross wind gusts + bridge is a pretty harrowing experience.

[Dirt]

W&OD from Columbia pike to Shirlington is plowed and almost glare ice. Almost looks like they took a Zamboni to it. I studs.

[Arlingtonrider]

Sounds like Arlington DES is doing what people wanted them to. I hope the sun will help with the ice.

[Dirt]

It was probably crusty early on but became ice in the last few hours.

[Steve O]

@Phatboing 75323 wrote:

…. big icy fustercluck in the next couple of days.

Given that we’ve got what looks like 2 weeks of below freezing temps (with only a couple of exceptions), this is going to be a really tough January on the trails–especially on the shady spots, which will never melt.
Rosslyn luge? Spout Run overpass skating rink? W&OD Glacier National Park? Join the fun!

[consularrider]

The W&OD and 4MRT are snow covered with an ice underlay. The MVT is north from the 4MRT is a mix of small drifts (two to eight inches) and wind scoured ice/packed snow. As mentioned above, there is a deep drift (over knee height) blocking the approach from the 1th St Bridge to the Humpback Bridge. I skipped the TR Trollheim wooden walkway and rode past Arlington National Cemetary.

[Dirt]

Some sections of the W&OD have a packed track that is super easy to ride.

Some sections definitely do not:

The bridges fall into the “do not” category bigtime.

It was fun riding today. Be careful passing people. They’re going to stick to the good line and you’re going to have to move around them in the rough stuff.

[Author]

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