Bike Trails to try out in DC
You like to exercise, but dislike being inside of gyms. Outside activity is all right with you, but dodging pedestrians and cars in the city lacks appeal. What can you do to “curb” your restless itch to do something other than watch Netflix? Put on some athletic shoes, hop on a bike and pedal to your hearts content on a bike trail!
Where you ask? Read about some of the easy to access trails in the metro area and additional resources to find enough trails to create a series of weekend quests to try all of them out.
Some well known trails
Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath — This unpaved trail is a National Historic Park, and it is 184 miles long, crossing through Virginia, DC, Maryland and West Virginia. Because it is an unpaved gravel trail, knobby tires (e.g. mountain bike tires) are recommended.
Capital Crescent Trail — Paved trail that runs from Georgetown to Silver Spring, MD.
Mount Vernon Trail — from Roosevelt Island in DC to George Washington’s home in VA, this is a mostly flat trail is a paved, 18-mile ride (it does go through Old Town Alexandria, which includes a bit of pedestrian/car traffic).
Hains Point — A 4-mile loop offering views of the Potomac River, Anacostia River, and the Washington Channel and it passes by the Roosevelt Memorial too. Also of note, this is a great trail to check out when the Cherry Blossoms are out.
Sligo Creek Trail — Excellent 10-miile paved trail traversing Montgomery and PG counties in MD, named after the Sligo Creek that it follows along. This trail does cross some busy roads, so consider this if you are not comfortable with car traffic.
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail — 20-mile trail on both sides of the Anacostia River.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail — this 3.5-mile Wilson Bridge trail connects with many of Virginia’s other bike trails.
For exercise, commuting, or just traffic avoidance, bike trails in the DC metropolitan area are a luxury to be explored.
For additional information, visit bikewashington.org.
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