7 Great Biking Routes
By Amy Reinink
Is there a better way to channel your inner child than by spending a lazy summer afternoon traipsing around on a bicycle?
Montgomery County offers plenty of trail options—for everyone from families with young kids looking for safe, paved surfaces to adrenaline junkies looking to hop over logs on their mountain bikes.
Road Biking
Beach Drive on weekends: If you’ve never experienced the beauty of cycling along Rock Creek Park’s Beach Drive, make this the summer you try it. The leaf-canopied road is closed to vehicular traffic between Military and Broad Branch roads in Washington, D.C., from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday, creating a wide, flat, paved surface suitable both for triathletes in training and for families with young kids on training wheels. (A word of caution, though: Paved trails such as this can get busy on weekends, so families should beware of speeding cyclists.) Those looking to add mileage or variety can wander onto the paved, 18.6-mile Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail or other adjoining paths. (www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/things2do.htm, www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkTrails/trails_MAPS/rock_creek.shtm)
Capital Crescent Trail: The 11-mile Capital Crescent Trail may be the best place in the Bethesda area for a family bike ride. The trail, which follows the abandoned tracks of the Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, stretches from Silver Spring to Georgetown. The seven-mile section from Bethesda to Georgetown is especially family-friendly, with a 10-foot-wide, hard-surface trail that is mostly flat (the section from Bethesda to Silver Spring is packed, crushed stone). Woodsy and scenic, the trail traverses historic tunnels and bridges. (www.cctrail.org)
C&O Canal Towpath: This 184.5-mile trail along the C&O Canal is the go-to location for long-distance bike rides in the Bethesda area. The wide, flat, hard-pack dirt trail follows the north bank of the Potomac River from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md. But even short chunks of the trail make for a great day trip, with killer river views for cyclists of all ages and experience levels. (www.nps.gov/choh)
Mountain Biking
Find directions to the mountain-biking trails below and scope out other trails by visiting www.more-mtb.org.
Schaeffer Farm: Dave Magill, trail liaison for The Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, a local mountain-biking group with roughly 1,000 members, says this Germantown recreation area, located about 45 minutes from Bethesda, is the heart of Montgomery County’s mountain-biking scene. With steep hills, jutting rocks and hidden roots along its single-track trails, it’s ideal for expert riders looking for a challenge. The best part: It offers options for beginning mountain bikers, too (start with the 3.5-mile white trail, which is well-marked and relatively easy).
Little Bennett and Black Hill regional parks: Located in Clarksburg and Boyds, respectively, these two parks offer the most challenging trails in Montgomery County, Magill says. The hills are steeper and the roots are gnarlier than almost anywhere else nearby. But here, too, beginners can pedal along paved trails while adventure-seekers can test their skills on the single-track trails. Both are less than an hour from Bethesda.
Gambrill State Park/Frederick Watershed: Mountain bikers willing to cross the county line will find 16 miles of wooded, rocky trails in the Catoctin Mountains northwest of Frederick, about an hour from Bethesda. All trails are loops, allowing cyclists to explore new terrain every inch of their ride. Though beginners won’t find much here, experts will love the steep trails, ample rock gardens and heart-stopping descents.
Patapsco Valley State Park: Once you’ve covered the trails listed above, expand your horizons at the 16,000-acre Patapsco Valley State Park, located a few miles from Baltimore/Washington International Airport, about 40 minutes from Bethesda. The park extends along the 32-mile Patapsco River Valley, and its slopes provide some intense uphill climbs, Magill says. It gets crowded on summer weekends, area cyclists say, because it offers the longest, steepest trails around.
