What's your favorite ride outside DC?

[tourmalet]

I'll be spending a week in the DC area and have some time to explore. I've done the usual rides around the Potomac River and am looking for something within 2 hours by car.

40-80 miles with less than 4k of elevation gain would hit the spot. The more scenic and twisty the better!

[djdj]

I like the Catoctins, just an hour from DC by car, though the climbing into them may be steeper then you are looking for. You should be able to cobble something together from the maps and cue sheets for either the Civil War Century or the Frederick Gran Fondo. The Civil War Century with the "bailout" option at 64 miles might meet your criteria; it does have a long curvy descent back to Thurmont. One word of caution is that there are "very" limited water/food stops in the park and small towns, so plan accordingly.

[zap]

Check out Potomac Pedalers cue sheet library. Many great rides. Antetium Scout is a great ride. Some climbing but wonderful scenery. Other ride to check out is Twice Across the River which goes into VA. Rides from Marshall, VA are also very nice. So many choices.

[Toeclips]

Elizabeth Furnace, in the GW National park in Shenandoah

[dan_hudson]

Don't have a specific route to share but for something outside the box look east instead of west. There are dandy routes toward the Bay in lower Anne Arundel, Calvert, and Charles Counties. Definitely not flat but not too hilly either. I used to live in Beltsville and had some dandy loops in my brain toward Galesville, North Beach, and Prince Frederick.

Can be a bit of an adventure to escape on that side of the city though by bike as no equivalent of the W&OD, Macarthur Blvd, etc. For rides toward lower Anne Arundel the Park-Ride at the US-50/Davidson Road interchange is a popular starting spot.

Even farther outside the box is riding north of Baltimore in Harford + Baltimore Counties toward southern PA. Was mentioned in another thread this week. Really beautiful and the hills are short but relentless and surprisingly steep.

[dan_hudson]

Elizabeth Furnace, in the GW National park in Shenandoah

For a cue for this one, search for "SkyMass" (for Skyline Drive + Massanutten Mtn). Is a DC road ride classic.

[mass_biker]

I've done this ride many, many times - usually starting from Middleburg.
Depending on your way back, 45-50 miles, with a nice climb to the top of Mt. Weather (a shade under 2000', which is about 1500 feet above the general height of land down near Middleburg). For me, this racks out to about 3500-4000 feet of climbing for the loop. On the way back into Middleburg, there are some great options to string together combinations of paved and gravel roads too. Although you can do this 100% on gravel. If you add the southern spur to include Naked Mtn., that is another nice little kicker before you work your way back up to Middleburg. Have fun! That area has some of my favorite rides/roads ever.

m_b

[reuben]

For rides toward lower Anne Arundel the Park-Ride at the US-50/Davidson Road interchange is a popular starting spot.

+1

But it's Davidsonville Road, aka Route 424.

[vincenz]

If you don’t need to drive, can ride from DC out to Sugarloaf Mountain. The surrounding rural roads out there are pretty nice as well. Can easily meet your distance and elevation requirements.

[zap]

+1

But it's Davidsonville Road, aka Route 424.

You don't want to park at the Park and Ride. Too many break ins. Southern High School is a safer ride start location.

[reuben]

You don't want to park at the Park and Ride. Too many break ins. Southern High School is a safer ride start location.
Or South River High.

From Southern you can go down Route 2/4.

From South River you can go down Route 2/4 or Muddy Creek Road.

Well, OK, you can cut over from 2/4 to Muddy Creek, or back the other way. No biggie if you're near the schools (sorta near 214).

Good shoulders either way.

[mass_biker]

Even farther outside the box is riding north of Baltimore in Harford + Baltimore Counties toward southern PA. Was mentioned in another thread this week. Really beautiful and the hills are short but relentless and surprisingly steep.[/I]

< This. If you are interested in rides 1+ hour north of DC (i.e. starting a bit north of Baltimore) the terrain heading up towards southern PA is all up and down and twisty, often lightly traveled roads - happy to provide local color if needed

[jemoryl]

I moved to the DC area just over a year ago and am still exploring routes. Living in Bethesda, I tend to ride to the west and north towards Potomac, MD. Here is a ride on some nice quiet roads with generally good pavement: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33165802

Starting point is Darnestown, but I could start from home if I wanted a longer ride. Around mile 15 you can see Sugarloaf, and if you wanted to climb it turn left at Comus Rd. From what I understand, homesick Brazilians in the area gave it that name because it reminded them so much of Rio.

[makoti]

About 50min out, basically flat, quiet roads. 55miles.https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23421514 There are stores, but I never trust that they are where you want them, so I carry enough to get me through. If you search "Indian Head, MD", there are several variations of this at different lengths.
If you want hilly, The Blue Ridger is a local staple. Out of Marshall park & ride. About 1.5 hrs from DC, barring traffic (IOW, on Sunday mornings)

[OtayBW]

I like anything out of Frederick or Thurmont. Head up towards and around Wolfesville, Myersville, Boonesboro (Antietem), Middleburg, Catoctin Furnace. Climbs not too bad in that neck of the woods - nice riding. There are lots of published rides available.

[Gummee]

Take a look at the route for the Rock Creek Park loop if you don't want to drive to go riding.

There's a few different loops out of The Plains on either pavement or gravel

If you want some really out of the way riding, check out Culpeper Cycling's website

The farther out you go, the less traffic you'll find

M

[skitlets]

There's some good riding east of DC too towards Patuxent/Bowie MD. The Anacostia River Trail is a gem of a MUP.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31078141

[rccardr]

Lots of good riding out in Virginia horse country. Easy start in The Plains or Haymarket. I have ride sheets.

[Smitty2k1]

There's some good riding east of DC too towards Patuxent/Bowie MD. The Anacostia River Trail is a gem of a MUP.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31078141

Thanks for this! Live in Cap Hill and ride the Anacostia out to Greenbelt all the time, but have been looking for a good route to include Pax River as I hear there is some nice gravel out that way!

[palincss]

You don't want to park at the Park and Ride. Too many break ins. Southern High School is a safer ride start location.

In addition, there are no restroom facilities at the Davidsonville Park & Ride, but at Southern HS there's the Harwood store 0.1 mi away. You can do most of the routes that originated at Davidsonville from Harwood just by shifting the starting point.

[palincss]

If you like riding in the mountains, the Blue Ridge and the Catoctins are for you. If you like easier rolling farm country with water views, Charles and St Marys Counties have a lot to offer. It's my personal opinion that St Marys provides the best location for a self-supported century because there are so many stores and parks with rest rooms you really don't need supported rest stops. There are many places up in Frederick County MD and out in VA Horse Country where that's no longer true, where the country stores all closed years ago and now the places where you can use a rest room or replenish water supplies are very few and far between.

[dan_hudson]

Thanks for this! Live in Cap Hill and ride the Anacostia out to Greenbelt all the time, but have been looking for a good route to include Pax River as I hear there is some nice gravel out that way!

Once you get to Greenbelt-ish... explore winding thru the USDA Farm to Old Bowie. Once in Old Bowie, there is a combination of reasonably quiet roads (Highbridge to Church to Mt Oak to Queen Anne Bridge) that can get you to the MD-214 crossing of the Patuxent. That will open you up to miles + miles of great quiet roads and loops in lower Anne Arundel.

Can't help with gravel out that way - sorry. Have heard there is some legal gravel in Prince Georges in the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge on the north side of MD-197 (look for references to Tipton Airport).

[zennmotion]

If you like riding in the mountains, the Blue Ridge and the Catoctins are for you. If you like easier rolling farm country with water views, Charles and St Marys Counties have a lot to offer. It's my personal opinion that St Marys provides the best location for a self-supported century because there are so many stores and parks with rest rooms you really don't need supported rest stops. There are many places up in Frederick County MD and out in VA Horse Country where that's no longer true, where the country stores all closed years ago and now the places where you can use a rest room or replenish water supplies are very few and far between.

Umm, nobody wants you to use their restrooms these days in exchange for purchase of a Gatorade and a Little Debbie. Unless you're a delivery driver or other worker without any other options it's an entitled selfish ask in a world that's changed, plan to be self sufficient, it's not that hard.

[Smitty2k1]

Once you get to Greenbelt-ish... explore winding thru the USDA Farm to Old Bowie. Once in Old Bowie, there is a combination of reasonably quiet roads (Highbridge to Church to Mt Oak to Queen Anne Bridge) that can get you to the MD-214 crossing of the Patuxent. That will open you up to miles + miles of great quiet roads and loops in lower Anne Arundel.

Can't help with gravel out that way - sorry. Have heard there is some legal gravel in Prince Georges in the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge on the north side of MD-197 (look for references to Tipton Airport).

Yeah I was thinking the Wildlife Refuge in particular. But I just spent the week in small town Illinois exploring quiet rural roads so your other info sounds great!

[skitlets]

Thanks for this! Live in Cap Hill and ride the Anacostia out to Greenbelt all the time, but have been looking for a good route to include Pax River as I hear there is some nice gravel out that way!

If you find some gravel close to DC, please let me know!. I think there may be a few parks off the WOD as I see the occasional mountain biker pull off the paved trail.

Once you get to Greenbelt-ish... explore winding thru the USDA Farm to Old Bowie. Once in Old Bowie, there is a combination of reasonably quiet roads (Highbridge to Church to Mt Oak to Queen Anne Bridge) that can get you to the MD-214 crossing of the Patuxent. That will open you up to miles + miles of great quiet roads and loops in lower Anne Arundel.

Can't help with gravel out that way - sorry. Have heard there is some legal gravel in Prince Georges in the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge on the north side of MD-197 (look for references to Tipton Airport).

Thanks for expanding on more bike-friendly roads out there! The rolling hills by the USDA farm are beautiful. Something a city kid like myself very rarely get to see.

[Toeclips]

Has anyone mention in Va Prince William county Turkey Run State Park, they have a nice seven mile loop in a park setting

State championships have been held there too

[bward1028]

If you find some gravel close to DC, please let me know!. I think there may be a few parks off the WOD as I see the occasional mountain biker pull off the paved trail.



Thanks for expanding on more bike-friendly roads out there! The rolling hills by the USDA farm are beautiful. Something a city kid like myself very rarely get to see.

Prince William forest has some great roads, but it's a bit of a drive from DC. Closer to Quantico. C&O Canal is probably the best gravel option out of dc. I have friends who have some gravel rides out in PGco, but they keep them pretty closely held secrets.

[echappist]

If you find some gravel close to DC, please let me know!. I think there may be a few parks off the WOD as I see the occasional mountain biker pull off the paved trail.



I’d classify C&O towpath as gravel, and that thing stretches for as long as one would want to ride in a day.

Pretty bumpy stuff, too. Wasnt fun on 23C tires

One does have to detour around Great Falls National Park though

[palincss]

Umm, nobody wants you to use their restrooms these days in exchange for purchase of a Gatorade and a Little Debbie. Unless you're a delivery driver or other worker without any other options it's an entitled selfish ask in a world that's changed, plan to be self sufficient, it's not that hard.

The stores I'm referring to have portolets outside the stores. That's a thing in Southern Maryland. In one case (Murphy's Town & Country in Avenue MD) they have it located under one of those portable garage awning things so it's always in the shade.

[skitlets]

I’d classify C&O towpath as gravel, and that thing stretches for as long as one would want to ride in a day.

Pretty bumpy stuff, too. Wasnt fun on 23C tires

One does have to detour around Great Falls National Park though

Perhaps even worse than gravel! It was a mud fest the last time I road to Cumberland. Impressed you could go on 23.

[palincss]

Perhaps even worse than gravel! It was a mud fest the last time I road to Cumberland. Impressed you could go on 23.

Conditions should be improving in that respect, thanks to the Towpath Resurfacing Project (https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/towpath-resurfacing-project.htm).

https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/images/77124872_2645598448836773_6241794207984386048_o.jp g?maxwidth=1200&autorotate=false

[echappist]

Perhaps even worse than gravel! It was a mud fest the last time I road to Cumberland. Impressed you could go on 23.

Depend on the section and time of year.

Also, this was late 2012 to maybe early 2015, so things could have changed.

Basically, quite rideable during fall to April. Just give it a day or two to dry out. Past May, it was a mudfest like you described. Actually quite nice to ride on it on a sunny autumn afternoon. Given how often it rains in the summer, i wouldnt think it’s that rideable until it hasnt rained for four days straight.

The part west of Great Falls is a lot bumpier, and i’d classify some as double single track (albeit straight single track). Impressive work going all the way to the Appalachia foothills. I went from Poolesville, heading west, and i had enough by the time I got to the ferry crossing.

Conditions should be improving in that respect, thanks to the Towpath Resurfacing Project (https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/towpath-resurfacing-project.htm).

https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/images/77124872_2645598448836773_6241794207984386048_o.jp g?maxwidth=1200&autorotate=false

Do you know where this is? Looks a bit too wide, so to speak

[zennmotion]

If you find some gravel close to DC, please let me know!.

There is really great gravel about 45mins-1hour (non-peak driving time) from downtown DC straight west in Virginia, Fauqier and Loudoun counties. My favorite close-in gravel rides often started in Haymarket to minimize driving time and still start your ride on rural roads rather than the burbs. There are many miles of well maintained low traffic gravel roads North of Rt 66 and West of Rt 15 - it's horse farm country, many roads are lined with stone fences, Blue Ridge views and the hills are mostly gentle although you can find some challenges if you want- this is where I spent many weekend days before I transplanted to Cali. There is a lot of Civil War history along those roads as well, especially some pre-Gettysburg skirmish sites. Look around the area inside the perimeter of The Plains, Marshall (home of UCI World Team pro Joe Dombrowski who used to break people's legs on our winter training rides out there), Upperville, Mt Weather (smile! you're on camera...) Bluemont, Purcellville (home of Velo Classique bike shop, worth a visit to drool on vintage Italian goodness) and Leesburg.

I don't know what happened to all my old routes on RideWithGPS- I haven't used it in several years and I had several great twisty gravel routes from 30-80 miles in and around that area, avoiding pavement as much as possible. I could map out one or two again, let me know, but what's with the damn app? Not as user friendly as it used to be IMHO. The Potomac Pedalers website has a good cue sheet library (probably the best source for the region) but those guys tend to avoid the gravel roads where possible rather than seek them out, but otherwise their routes are well documented. You used to have to join the club to access the library, but you can try.

Edit: I just sketched out one of my favorite 65mi routes from memory that maximizes gravel- it starts at the Bull Run Conservancy parking lot
(17405 Beverley Mill Dr, Broad Run, VA 20137) West of Haymarket- it starts with a couple of miles of pavement but at least 2/3 of the ride is gravel- Bust Head (toward the beginning) and Bull Run Mountain (toward the end) are both challenging gravel climbs, not killers but not easy either. The rest is rolling. Except for a brief stretch along Rt 50, these are all low traffic roads. Water/food can be found in Middleburg, but otherwise you should be self sufficient- carry 3 bottles if it's hot. PM me if you want more details.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33178247

[palincss]

Do you know where this is? Looks a bit too wide, so to speak

The National Park Service web site doesn't specifically identify the location, but it does say


Where is work currently taking place?

The current phase of resurfacing stretches from Whites Ferry (Mile 35) to Brunswick (Mile 54). This phase of work has been completed as of April 1, 2020. The 30-day temporary closure for horseback riders is in effect between Culvert 82 (Mile 52.5) and Brunswick (Mile 54).


so it's fair to assume it's somewhere between mi 52.5 and mi 54.

[skitlets]

I'm looking forward to another C&O DC to Cumberland (maybe Pitt to DC) tour when the campsites re-open, especially if the surfaces are in better shape. Some parts just never dry out.

Thanks Zenn for the quickly posting a gravel route. No car here but worth renting one with a buddy for a good day of nice riding. Looks like we switched locations -- Bay Area <-> DC

[zennmotion]

I'm looking forward to another C&O DC to Cumberland (maybe Pitt to DC) tour when the campsites re-open, especially if the surfaces are in better shape. Some parts just never dry out.

Thanks Zenn for the quickly posting a gravel route. No car here but worth renting one with a buddy for a good day of nice riding. Looks like we switched locations -- Bay Area <-> DC

You can also ride the metro Silver Line to Wiehle and ride the W&OD trail to Leesburg to access rural gravel. You should link up with the Bikenetic shop guys in Falls Church and get on their Facebook list, they do frequent group gravel and MTB shop (that's close to the W&OD) rides out in that direction, a really fun bunch of bike geeks and other misfits. I'm loving the East Bay hills, but I still miss Virginia and MD riding!

[Smitty2k1]

Since there seem to be quite a few DCists here I just want to say I'm itching to ride with other people should anyone feel comfortable doing so. I've only got 6 weeks left until my wife is due and I'm sure my cycling is going to go waaaaayyyy down once that happens.

[makoti]

Since there seem to be quite a few DCists here I just want to say I'm itching to ride with other people should anyone feel comfortable doing so. I've only got 6 weeks left until my wife is due and I'm sure my cycling is going to go waaaaayyyy down once that happens.

You might want to start a thread for this. Where are you in the area?

[zennmotion]

There is really great gravel about 45mins-1hour (non-peak driving time) from downtown DC straight west in Virginia, Fauqier and Loudoun counties.

Beautiful description, with a great story!
https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=2748971#post2748971

[Gummee]

You can also ride the metro Silver Line to Wiehle and ride the W&OD trail to Leesburg to access rural gravel. You should link up with the Bikenetic shop guys in Falls Church and get on their Facebook list, they do frequent group gravel and MTB shop (that's close to the W&OD) rides out in that direction, a really fun bunch of bike geeks and other misfits. I'm loving the East Bay hills, but I still miss Virginia and MD riding!

Hill is a 4-letter word, but I agree on the East Bay thing. ...and Morgan Hill. ...and Salinas. ...and...

I'm outside Manassas if anyone needs a guide round western PWC

M

[tourmalet]

Thank you to The Paceline's Brain Trust for such wise advice! I have a long to-do list for the remainder of my vacation here, but I definitely kicked it off with a bang yesterday.

I rode the Antietam Scout loop out of Urbana. It featured dozens of punchy little climbs interspersed with beautiful farmland. I was glad I started around 7am, since there's not a lot of shade to hide under once the sun comes out. Maryland is hottt!

https://i.imgur.com/qPxmHgL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1y3Q6eE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0mVKrGC.jpg

[mokofoko]

I used to love riding the W&OD trail when I lived in the area. From the Reston/Herndon area, going north or south was fantastic. Roundtrip, I could easily get 75+ miles going through DC. Never ever got tired of it. I know it connects with another trail and goes all the way up into Baltimore... pretty much flat the whole way. As much as I hated the traffic living in VA, the trails almost made up for it...

[abmrb]

Here is a link to Reston Bike Club's route library which pretty much covers the entire region:

https://ridewithgps.com/organizations/85-reston-bike-club-join-us/routes?

[zap]

Since there seem to be quite a few DCists here I just want to say I'm itching to ride with other people should anyone feel comfortable doing so. I've only got 6 weeks left until my wife is due and I'm sure my cycling is going to go waaaaayyyy down once that happens.

We moved from metro D.C. (Potomac) almost 4 years ago (gosh time flies) .....but if you ever come down to NC (triangle) let me know.

[Smitty2k1]

We moved from metro D.C. (Potomac) almost 4 years ago (gosh time flies) .....but if you ever come down to NC (triangle) let me know.

I drove past you this last weekend, spent the 4th at my in laws in New Bern, NC. Got out for a few hours on Saturday and tried to bike a lap of the Croatan Buck Fifty but ran into very muddy and overgrown ATV trails for the first 5 miles, followed by a washed out bridge over a 15' gorge after that. Managed to get through those obstacles and wound up doing about 15 miles of nice gravel in the Croatan before hitting a corn field that prevented any further progress. I suppose in March when the race was supposed to happen there wouldn't have been 8' high corn!