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Region’s residents bring out the bikes as season changes
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Scarlet Williams, left, and Cavan Fleming, right, ride their bicycles northbound on the Mount Vernon Trail Monday across the Dyke Marsh Wild Life Preserve, adjacent to the Potomac River near Mount Vernon.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Bike trails throughout the metropolitan region are filled with cycling enthusiasts, especially as the weather cools and the leaves begin to turn.
The Capital Crescent Trail, a 13-mile stretch between Georgetown and Bethesda; the Rock Creek Trail, 20 miles linking Lake Needwood Regional Park to the District; and the Custis/Mount Vernon Trails, 22 miles that begin running parallel to Interstate 66 in Arlington and continue down to George Washington’s estate, are very scenic routes for fall foliage, said Eric Gilliland, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
“I think we are kind of victims of our own success. The trails in the region have become so popular that they are often crowded on the weekends,” he said.
He offered the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System in Maryland as a family-friendly trail that is “less chaotic” than the more popular trails.
The system includes a northeast branch, a northwest branch, a Paint Branch trail and the Sligo Creek trail.
Former railroad lines, such as the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath that runs 185 miles through the region and the Washington and Old Dominion 45-mile path through Northern Virginia, are popular trails.
The Regional Park Authority has been improving signage along the W&OD, highlighting the history of the stations along the railroad line and how the train assisted troops in the Civil War, said Barbara Hildreth, chair of he W&OD Task Force.
“[The W&OD Trail] is not just a great place to ride, but it ties you to Virginia being a great place for history,” she said.
There are several bike rental shops throughout the region for those seeking a day trip who do not own bicycles.
cgoodman@dcexaminer.com
