Top 10 Hills to Bike on in the Area

1. Mormon Temple Hill

Mormon Temple hill is on Stoneybrook Dr. in Kensington Maryland. With multiple variations, this hill is truly the best local hill. You can easily reach Mormon Temple Hill by going down Beach Dr. or the Rock Creek Trail towards the city. When you reach Stoneybrook Dr., take a left instead of a right. There are also three different variations. The main one is the most popular, and for this variation, just keep straight on Stoneybrook past the temple. You can turn off at Kent St. which will put you in downtown Kensington, or you can go all the way to the top and Capital View Dr. and take a right and go down Forsythe and back around for another lap. You can also take a right on Hill street right after the start of the hill, and then take a left on La Duke street. The final variation has you taking a left on Stoneybrook and a left on Forsythe and then crossing I-495 on the Linden Ln. Bridge and heading up to Capital View and then back down Stoneybrook.

2. Donnelly's Hill

Located on Argyle Avenue, Donnelly's Hill is a short but steep climb. With an average gradient of almost 8%, this hill takes a lot of power. It is not very long though. It does have a lot of history though. It was named after the Donnelly's who lived in a big house on the street according to Growing Up In Garrett Park by Lee Pope. When it snows, it is still closed off for sledders.

3. Snowshoe/Sugarbush Hill

Located on Sugarbush Lane, this hill serves as a detour from the Tuckerman to Edson Trolley Trail Segment. It is a large hill, and is very fun to ride up or down. If you take a right on Snowshoe at the top, you'll pop out on Edson Lane and you can ride down to the trail and do laps if you'd like.

4. Elsmere Hill

Perhaps one of the steepest hills on the list, Elsmere is also rather far away. To reach this hill, take the trolley trail to Beach Avenue and take a right on Linden, a left on Alta-Vista, and a right on Holland. You can then go down Elsmere, around the loop at the bottom, and then tackle the massive climb. And, with the main climb having more than a 9% average gradient, this really is a massive climb.

5. Ashley Hill

Ashley Hill is located on Ashley Lane in Viers Mill. You can easily access it from Garrett Park by crossing the train tracks and heading down the path. Take a left on schuylkill and a right on Ashley Lane. You'll have to go all the way to Boiling Brook PKWY and turn around, and then you'll be facing the hill. While not one of the largest on the list, it's still a fun one to climb.

6. Dinwiddie Hill

Located at the very back of the Walnut Woods neighborhood, this is a fairly big hill. You can access it by starting at the new Tilden Lane campus, taking a left on Tilden Lane, a right on Old Stage, and keep going all the way to the end of Old Stage road. Then go down Dinwiddie Dr. and you can turn around to face the hill in the circle at the bottom.

7. White Flint Hill

This hill is very easily accessible to those living in White Flint and Garrett Park Estates. First just head to White Flint Park and go all the way up the paved path. Then take a left on the mall road. Go around the loop and take a left when you get to the stop light. This hill has gotten a lot safer with speed bumps that have been installed.

8. Rokeby Hill

Rokeby is a nice, short hill. It has a longer, less steep section and a short, very steep section. It starts at the end of the bridge from Garrett Park Estates into Garrett Park. It runs along the railroad line, and if you want to try a new variation, take a right on Kenilworth. Kenilworth is much less steep, but it's really fun to ride up.

9. Strathmore Hill

Strathmore Hill has three variations. The first of which starts at Holy Cross Academy and goes all the way up the the stop light. The second variation starts at Beach Dr. and this one goes all the way to the pool at Kenswick Ave. The final variant, and probably the greatest one starts at Beach Dr. Take a left on Weymouth St. and a right on Oxford. This variant ends on Kenilworth.

10. Waycross Hill

Waycross Hill is a fun and quick hill to do in our neighborhood. Start at Rokeby and go up Waycross to Flanders in order to complete the first variant. The second variant starts on Stillwater. Go up Bangor Dr. to Waycross and then take Waycross all the way to Flanders. This hill is a longer but flatter variant.