Short Road Routes
Scouts planning a ride are limited only by their imaginations and road conditions. Scouts can plan their own rides using tools like the Fairfax County Interactive Cycling Map, the Arlington County bike map, or consider the following ideas:
This is a sweet little ride. It is “little,” because it is 15.4 miles. It is “sweet” because we will ride to the Peeps Store at National Harbor. The route starts at the Cora Kelly School in the northern part of Alexandria, close to a bike trail that connects to the Mount Vernon Trail. Then, heading south on the Mount Vernon Trail, becomes a ride through Old Town Alexandria on the street. The route crosses Wilson Bridge, leading to National Harbor. The Peeps Store is on the waterfront. One way, the trip is 7.6 miles. This route has plenty of good opportunities to fulfill merit badge requirements regarding traffic crossings and riding across railroad tracks.
2. Troop 128 Breakfast Challenge
Scouting is supposed to be “boy-led.” This ride challenges Scouts to start at St. John’s Episcopal Church in McLean, and ride to the highest point in southern Falls Church, the water tower. The ride starts in the early Saturday morning, when traffic is at a minimum, and ends with a rewarding breakfast at the McLean Family Restaurant. Scouts plan the route, mindful that they need to avoid busy roads (Dolly Madison Blvd, Old Dominion Drive, etc.). The route should include roads with bike lanes and use several of the local bike paths that create short cuts for safer cycling. Here is a Google map showing:
Start – St. John’s
Goal – The Top of Water Tower Hill
Finish – McLean Family Restaurant
Several shortcuts and safe biking hints.
This challenge is a perfect practice for the last requirement of the merit badge: planning a 50-mile ride.
3. Chain Bridge – Georgetown – Monuments
This ride begins in a northern Arlington neighborhood at a paved trailhead leading down to the Chain Bridge. The route crosses the Chain Bridge, and down steps on the left that lead to the C&O Canal. Head southeast on the C&O. The intersection of the C&O and Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) provides both MTB and road bike options. Those with mountain bikes can continued on the C&O while those with road bikes can ride CCT. The groups can meet Washington Harbor for a gelato break, and then continued on the bike trail that passes by the Kennedy Center. From there, bike paths lead to the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool, and the WWII memorial. The route continues to the Washington Monument and then heading to the Boy Scout Memorial near the Elipse. We continued past the Vietnam Memorial and back into Georgetown. Once again, mountain bikers split from the road bikers for the ride back to the Chain Bridge. After crossing the bridge, ascend the hill back to the starting point. The total distance of the ride is 14.4 miles. It can count as a ten-mile ride for road bike option (7.a.2), and five-mile ride for the mountain bike option (7.b.3).
4. Washington & Old Dominion Rail Trail
The W&OD is a major bicycle corridor in Northern Virginia. It stretches 45 miles from Shirlington to Purcellville. It connects to the Custis Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail. Looking at the trail map, Scouts can plan many bike trips of varying lengths that use the trail.
This ride can be 26 or 33 miles on some of the prettiest and flattest terrain in our area. Using wide Maryland roads and even a ferry to cross the Tred Avon River, this is ride is highly recommended.
6. Gettysburg
What better way to see the battlefield! This ride is 19 miles long, but could easily be adjusted to 25. Because it uses National Park roads, it is a ride that should have more careful drivers than most other rides.
This trail is about 13 miles long, so a roundtrip ride can satisfy the 25 mile ride requirements. The highlight of the trail is on the southern end, where it passes near the Mattawoman estuary. There is an ice cream stand on the water, at the end of Mattingly Ave.
The Mount Vernon Trail stretches 18 miles from Rossylin to Mount Vernon and passes many interesting sites on the way. It is an excellent corridor for bikes to depart to the south out of DC. Adventuresome Scouts can use it to plan a camping trip to Pohick Bay Regional Park!
Connecting the Custis trail, the W&OD, the Four Mile Run and the Mount Vernon trails is an obvious circuit route that is about 17 miles long. An overview of the loop can be found at Bike Washington, but note that the explanation there is now out of date given the substantial improvements to the lower end of the Four Mile Run trail.
10. St. Mary's County Collection
St. Mary's County, in Southern Maryland, has a great website with several rides ranging from 10 to 25 miles. Maps, cue sheets, and points of interest all included. This is a great resource to discover some fantastic rides.