More On Biking This Trail
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We're Here For The Beer (Places To Go).
- Mountain bike trails immediately adjacent to trail at Mile 30.5. These were developed in 2001-2002 by a ranger of the W&OD office on land owned by the NVRPA. This is some of the prettiest land on the trail.
View from Goose Creek Trestle, highest on the trail. Goose Creek is a State Scenic River. This is one of the best views on the trail. The mountain bike trails are between Goose Creek and Sycolin Creek.
- Anita's, an inexpensive small chain of Mexican restaurants, including one on the trail in Herndon and one in Vienna, about five blocks off the trail.
- a few places to eat along the W&OD again by The Washington Post
- Ride to Ashburn to tour the Old Dominion Beer Brewery. Remember to designate a driver for the return trip. (Mile 25.5) Saturdays at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. No reservations are needed for the tours. The brewery also sells lunch daily in a fifty-seat pub, open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays. 703-724-9103. This micro-brewery was one of the first in the region, according to The Post. Read more about it.
At The Western End
- A route from the western end to the C&O in Brunswick, MD (just reverse it)
- Circuit ride: out the W&OD, back on C&O. Click here for map. Includes a toll ferry. On the C & O your bike will need wide tires. At least one phase of the construction on the shoulder of US Route 15 is over. US Route 15 is the only connecting road to Whites Ferry Rd.
- Allegheny Trail Alliance -- leave W&OD at Leesburg, take ferry as above. From C & O Towpath, you can almost bike from Washington to Pittsburgh off roads. Only a few dozen miles are on-road as of March, 2001.
- Avoiding Va. State Route 7, Biking To Winchester
- Getting to Round Hill, the next town to the west, is not easy. The most direct route is Va. Business 7, which is somewhat dangerous. An alternative route is half gravel roads. But this will change in the future. Two new trails would "extend" trail at western end The Town of Round Hill has funds to build a trail to Franklin Park, about half-way from Round Hill to Purcellville. Meanwhile, Virginia awarded federal funds to Loudoun County to design (but not yet build) a trail from the western end of the W&OD to Franklin Park. Both trails are expected to be on the shoulder of Virginia Business Route 7. Together they would form a Purcellville-to-Round Hill trail.
Bike Tourism
- Norris House Inn, a bed-and-breakfast in Leesburg, Virginia, has a guide to several long-distance bike trails.
- A member of the PATC, Phil Schols reports on his bike ride out and back on the trail, and staying overnight at Bear's Den Youth Hostel, which is about seven miles west of the end of the trail. The hostel allows adults to stay there, too, as well as youths, but you should call ahead for the details.
- A journalist, Amy White, reported on her two-day trip out-and-back in 1997 in the Washington Post
Bike Rentals
bikes@vienna, two blocks west of trail in Church St. in Vienna.
Bicycling Links
- Washington Area Bicyclist Association
- Two counties describe their trails:
- Arlington County's bike routes and bike trails including a map you can download.
- Fairfax County's bike trails mostly are not connected.
- W&OD mileage chart.
- Some local bike clubs:
- Bicycle advocacy groups:
- Some nearby long-distance trails:
- Another rail-to-trail in Virginia, the Virginia Creeper Trail.
- In West Virginia, the Greenbriar River Trail is another rail-to-trail.
- In the Town of Leesburg, some residents don't want a feeder trail to connect with the W&OD
- Other local rail trails. Also Urban ATB Home
- Bikes Bed and Breakfast, a guide to bicycling and overnight accomodations along the C&O and the W&OD Trail, published (electronically) by the Norris House Inn in Leesburg.
- The Cyberrider, an award-winning page.
- Advice on biking on the towpath.
