[viennabiker]

@Overtone 226169 wrote:

Super, thank you!

I agree it’s an easy crossing. Fairly recently, I entered the zoo at Harvard Street so I know it’s open–but now only to pedestrians. I don’t know if bicycles count. If so, there is supposed to be a bike rack nearby.

Remember to reserve a zoo pass in advance.

[viennabiker]

In my experience, this is the most problematic PBL — or least protected PBL — in the area. It has gotten better; there are no longer ice cream vendors parked in the lane. But besides parked cars and strolling pedestrians, those walking to or from parked cars are often problems. But I think most dangerous are cars pulling out from one of the side streets and either looking the wrong way or–yes, this really is routine–pulling out and waving as if to thank a bicyclist for slamming on the breaks–are common. It is probably worse in the summer when Georgetown and the river draw a lot of weekend traffic. Glad you weren’t hurt.

[viennabiker]

@Alcova cyclist 225818 wrote:

Thanks – I was hoping something like that might work. I’ve ridden TR past Watergate onto Rock Creek before, but it was a while ago.

Agree that Memorial Bridge is a nice crossing (used to do that on commute with two completely different end-points that finished its DC leg down near the Wharf after cruising down the national mall), but would be a bit out of the way – and then I’d have to decide whether to stick to trails and go MVT to Custis or cut through Rosslyn on streets and come up into Ballston via Fairfax Dr.

Are the exit/entrance ramp crossings on Rock Creek trail crazy during rush hours?

I do Rock Creek daily and there’s rarely a problem. If you get on at Harvard, the zoo gate is closed so you have to cross Beach Drive but there is a user-activated light and cars usually stop even without out. If you get on at Calvert, the hill is steep and there are lots of joggers/runners.

Rock Creek Trail was repaved north of P Street and it is very smooth. Between P Street and Virginia Ave, the trail is narrow so you have to slow if there’s anybody coming the other way–moderate number of joggers but in rush hour most people seem very aware it’s a multi-use trail. I have found them most plentiful south of Virginia Avenue in front of the Kennedy Center (if you go down to the Memorial Bridge). The K Street crossing needs a bit of care and sometimes P Street too–most drivers yield but occasionally someone just doesn’t see bicycles. The crossing at Virginia Ave is often full, but there’s a light. The only spot that consistently needs a bit of awareness is the bike lane on Virginia Ave–drivers pulling out of the Watergate often are looking the wrong way.

[viennabiker]

@Alcova cyclist 225814 wrote:

Would like advice on cycle commutes between Adams Morgan in DC to Ballston.

I’d like to be off-street as much as possible, so I was planning to take MVT to Custis for the Virginia part of the commute, but not sure of the best way to handle the DC portion. Would Rock Creek Park trail work? Which bridge would be the best crossing? Google maps seems to want me to go through Georgetown on M street, but this seems likely to be trafficky and unpleasant.

In general, my main priority would be for a safer route – off road trails would be preferred, otherwise looking for PBL, quieter streets, etc. (I’m not totally uncomfortable mixing in traffic, I’d just generally prefer not to).

Thanks in advance!

I used to do that in reverse, but some years back, so my advice might be dated. Rock creek would be a great place to start–entering at Harvard Street or Calvert might be best depending on where you are starting in Adams Morgan. I was coming from or going to Vienna in which case the TR bridge made the most sense; to get there from Rock Creek, you take a left on Virginia Avenue (there is now a protected bike line there), hanging a right after the Watergate and joining the path along 25th street that leads the way over the TR Bridge, going north past Roosevelt Island and coming up at the Intersection of Doom, joining the Custis there.

This route would meet all your criteria, though the TR bridge path is very narrow (I got used to it).

The Google maps route through Georgetown would put you over the Key Bridge; you don’t need to use M Street but could instead use one of the parallel ones (like P) and then come down 34th (where there is a quite unprotected bike lane).

Memorial Bridge is a bit out of your way but is better for biking (though I have not crossed it since the construction project completed a couple years ago, I think. You could then take the MVT to Custis as you describe.

[viennabiker]

@DCAKen 218857 wrote:

I sent an email to the Rock Creek Superintendent about the reopening date. I received this reply today:

Here is a further update about the long segment north of the areas discussed so far on Beach Drive–the name of the road that goes through Rock Creek Park north of Connecticut Ave. For some time, some stretches of Beach Drive between Broad Branch and the DC/Maryland border have been closed on weekends. In 2020, those stretches were closed on weekdays as well. This delighted some (walkers and bikers) but frustrated some commuters who were using Beach Drive. For WABA’s presentation, see: https://waba.org/parc/. For that of motorists–well, if you’re a cyclist you might steel yourself if you search out comments in variious social media and neighborhood listserves–the level of politeness varies considerably.

The National Park Service has been preparing an Environmental Assessment to inform a decision on whether to make the arrangement permanent. It was due some months ago, but is now waiting for a report from the Fish and Wildlife Service, with the assessment now due this summer. And then a decision will be made.

[viennabiker]

@DrP 218891 wrote:

The Rosslyn Monolith was showing counts today!

I rode by yesterday around noon and there were several people who were gathered around it with its cover removed. It did not count me as I rode past, but I now realize I may have been a witness to history since I must have happened by just as it was being repaired.

[viennabiker]

@ArlingtonVA 218856 wrote:

Thank you all for the amazing advice. I’m going to scout these routes and will provide an update in the coming weeks on what’s working. Really appreciate the help!

And if you keep at it, some years from now you’ll be able to go halfway across town on K Street: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/07/dc-k-street-transitway/

It isn’t happening overnight and there are still problems with delivery trucks in bike lanes, drivers unsure/unaware of how to share the road with bicyclits, and other obstructions), but DC seems to me to becoming steadily more bike friendly.

[viennabiker]

@ArlingtonVA 218844 wrote:

ADVICE NEEDED:
I would be VERY grateful for any suggested routes from Curtis Trail to Union Station with safety and speed in mind.

BACKGROUND:
I’m working up toward a bike commute from Ballston to my office near Union Station. I did a test ride Saturday. Curtis Trail was great, but getting across the city was a nightmare. I was either in a 2mph slog among cherry blossom loving tourists or nearly getting myself killed riding on the edge of traffic on Constitution Ave. I stumbled on the bike lanes on Pennsylvania Ave. for a quarter mile which offered a brief reprieve.

Thank you!!

Welcome to the world of bike commuting. Sometimes there is a bit of a tradeoff between safety and speed and sometimes not–but my impression is that the tradeoff seems especially strong when riding cross town. There is a gradually growing list of choices (Pennsylvania Avenue, as you discovered; L Street/M Street; Virginia Ave all have kinda protected bike lanes) which might make you feel more comfortable. But some are used as delivery lanes; they don’t always link up; and riding them in rush hour can be very different from riding them on weekends; riding some of them when cherry trees are in bloom can be especially challenging). Here are three suggestions beyond the Memorial Bridge one just posted by arlcxrider that I don’t know but sounds like it might be best for you):

1. You could follow Custis (not Curtis, by the way) to the connection with the Mt Vernon trail (easy enough just by following the trail down the hill after crossing Lynn Street), cross by the Jefferson Memorial following the path to 15th Street, up 15th Street and then following Jefferson Drive the length of the Mall. It has issues (the “Intersection of Doom” at Lynn street; the long boardwalk (slippery when wet; thus the nickname “Trollheim”–where the trail divides going south with the right hand going west over the TR bridge and the left proceeding south); 15th Street (no bike lane); and Jefferson (no high speed traffic but no bike lane).

2. You could go over Key Bridge; go down to Water Street (underneath the Whitehurst), then to Virginia Avenue perhaps to G Street (a bit of a challenging turn from Virginia Ave but not usually a lot of traffic) where you can cross town. Downsides here? Getting from Key Bridge down to Water Street (either ride on M Street to Wisconsin or going down one of the smaller streets and carrying your bike over the stairs over the C and O Canal); and riding by the White House in which any option you pick may be subject to closure) and then picking an option east of the White House (perhaps using the Pennsylvania Ave lanes you already found).

3. Some combination of the two: Follow Custis down the hill but go right at the fork to cross the TR bridge and then come out at Virginia Ave near the Kennedy Center, following that to G Street (or perhaps taking Virginia under the tunnel at 23rd street to E Street and then proceeding East to cross town near the ellipse). I find crossing the TR bridge easy but unpleasant–you’re right next to high-speed traffic, separated by a guardrail; the path is narrow and you have to slow to a crawl if someone is coming the other way.

[viennabiker]

@elbows 218830 wrote:

Is Rock Creek Trail open from Georgetown to Military Rd-sh or are there still closures with long detours or a very exciting ride on the parkway? I know that they’re still working around the Zoo. Tried to check the NPS site but wasn’t sure.

Thanks.

I wrote on this last week; there are no updates I am aware of. The southernmost section (just north of P Street) was supposed to reopen this past week but had not done so as of Thursday
http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?19273-March-April-2022-Road-and-Trail-Conditions

[viennabiker]

A further update, regarding number 6 below: that section of trail has been closed for archeological work involving DC’s oldest black cemetaries: https://www.popville.com/2022/02/historic-black-cemetery; there is at least one report that the work will be completed and the train reopened this coming week: https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/03/03/parts-of-the-rock-creek-trail-near-georgetown-will-remain-closed-this-weekend. Again, none of this information comes from the NPS or DC DOT sites which don’t seem to be good at providing updates (unless I’m missing them somehow).

@viennabiker 218751 wrote:

Yes, official updates are laconic and dated. It is not clear to me when things will all be done. There is a lot of construction that has been and will be done; Washcycle has a good update from a couple weeks ago: https://www.thewashcycle.com/2022/03/trail-segments-open-and-bridge-goes-into-place-as-ddots-rock-creek-park-trail-project-chugs-along.html

Here’s where things stood as of this past week, heading south from the intersection of Broad Branch and Beach Drive:
1. The trail from Broad Branch south is resurfaced and smooth;
2. At Piney Branch/Porter Street, the trail that goes under the bridge is repaved and smooth; or you can go on Beach and take a right at Porter and then a left to rejoin the trail;
3. The Harvard Street entrance to the Zoo is still closed;
4. The trail around the Zoo Tunnel is still closed (this is the part that annoys me since it has forced all traffic through the tunnel for four years with any reopening postponed until the entire construction is finished)
5. The new bridge immediately south of the Zoo Tunnel is under construction; it looks like a lot of work has been done; the old sidewalk was closed off and on for construction but now seems open.
6. South of Calvert Street, the trail is now open for a bit. But it is closed a little bit north of P Street (right where it crosses a bridge to follow the west side of the creek itself). If you travel that far you either have to turn around and go back to Calvert Street or ride in the Parkway until P Street;
7. South of P Street, it is open.

[viennabiker]

Yes, official updates are laconic and dated. It is not clear to me when things will all be done. There is a lot of construction that has been and will be done; Washcycle has a good update from a couple weeks ago: https://www.thewashcycle.com/2022/03/trail-segments-open-and-bridge-goes-into-place-as-ddots-rock-creek-park-trail-project-chugs-along.html

Here’s where things stood as of this past week, heading south from the intersection of Broad Branch and Beach Drive:
1. The trail from Broad Branch south is resurfaced and smooth;
2. At Piney Branch/Porter Street, the trail that goes under the bridge is repaved and smooth; or you can go on Beach and take a right at Porter and then a left to rejoin the trail;
3. The Harvard Street entrance to the Zoo is still closed;
4. The trail around the Zoo Tunnel is still closed (this is the part that annoys me since it has forced all traffic through the tunnel for four years with any reopening postponed until the entire construction is finished)
5. The new bridge immediately south of the Zoo Tunnel is under construction; it looks like a lot of work has been done; the old sidewalk was closed off and on for construction but now seems open.
6. South of Calvert Street, the trail is now open for a bit. But it is closed a little bit north of P Street (right where it crosses a bridge to follow the west side of the creek itself). If you travel that far you either have to turn around and go back to Calvert Street or ride in the Parkway until P Street;
7. South of P Street, it is open.

[viennabiker]

@Dewey 201302 wrote:

Hains Point loop closed to cyclists as the area is being used “to stage law enforcement assets”, the golf course and parks remain open.
https://hillrag.com/2020/06/04/hains-point-loop-closed-to-stage-federal-assets/
The BikeDC reddit has a thread on the closure https://www.reddit.com/r/bikedc/comments/gsepmg/haines_point_is_open/

Hains Point was open this afternoon: [ATTACH=CONFIG]21522[/ATTACH]

[viennabiker]

@Smitty2k1 199846 wrote:

As I’ve read here and elsewhere most of the VA trails have been way too crowded to safety bike while maintaining 6′ physical distance during our shelter in place orders. I’m fortunate to live on the east side of DC with easy access to the Anacostia trail system, but even some parts of that are starting to get rather busy.

So I pose a question – with the reduced car traffic from the shelter in place orders, does anyone have any nice road loops in and around the city?

I have found that almost all DC streets are very easy for experienced riders. In fact, streets that I would normally never set foot (or wheel) in are actually better than side streets since they are multi-lane with little traffic even during times that used to be rush hour–like Connecticut Ave NW or K Street NW. The main hazard is getting doored but again, wider streets make it easier to maintain a safe distance from parked cars and still not obstruct traffic in the slightest. The only place I felt mildly uncomfortable was upper 16th Street and even that worked out OK. During cherry blossom madness the streets around the Tidal Basin were to be avoided–but because of the thickness, not speed, of the traffic.

I’ve done a loop in NW that goes south on 14th street from the Takoma area to Arkansas (veering over and back from 16th street for a couple blocks around Walter Reed), then west on Arkansas on to Piney Branch and then Porter Street (through Rock Creek Park), up to Reno, then North to Western Ave, and then north east on Western Ave (getting from the end of Western Ave to the other side of Rock Creek means a bit of time on neighborhood streets and Beach Drive, but it’s not hard to navigate). Lots of variations on this ride.

[viennabiker]

An update from 11 am Tuesday:
1. I rode the length of the CCT (Bethesda to Georgetown). Trees have been cleared. Some muddy patches are still there, especially but not exclusively in the stretch between Chain Bridge and the Dalecarlia Tunnel (under MacArthur Blvd). It looked like more cleanup was still underway when I passed around 10:30
2. I rode on Rock Creek from Georgetown up to Broad Branch. The area north of P Street that is usually a big muddy mess after a heavy rain (when the creek overflows) had only a thin layer of mud. There were a few muddy patches but it looked like all the big ones had been cleared.

[viennabiker]

OK, so I rode today from Chevy Chase to Falls Church and back using Rock Creek, Custis, W and OD and back here is what I saw:
1. Rock Creek trail OK from Broad Branch to Zoo. South of that (ie around P street) it’s usually pretty bad after a hard rain, but I didn’t go that way.
2. Custis is all clear but lots of debris (I don’t know the difference between flotsam and jetsam)–only real problematic in between the two sisters–if you are going eastbound you’ll have to brake right near the bottom of the first hill.
3. The connector trail (ie under I66) has gravel and even small rocks covering the trail.
4. W and OD was fairly good with some areas with a bit of debris.
5. CCT has a big tree down on it that makes it nearly impossible to pass (I’m stubborn and managed to find a path through but it took me about 5 minutes to squeeze myself and my bike) around mile 9.5. There was a tree down yesterday as well but that’s gone now.

[Author]

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