Prince William Forrest Park

[purpleiris]

I love to ride in Prince William Forrest Park. It's a National Park and very well maintained. They have a "scenic route" in the park that is paved and on the back half motor vehicle traffic is only one way. The other lane is marked off for cyclists, joggers and walkers. The back half is also relatively flat and only 3.3 miles. The back half is pretty hilly and a couple are monsters but they are good to test my progress. I still usually have to stop and walk or rest a little.

There are lots and lots of road bikers out there training too. They are so inspirational to me!

For mountain bikers the off-road is great! There are probably 8 fire roads and the map you're given at the entrance to the park gives you an idea of the difficulty of each one. My husband LOVES the Moave Road. It's long and hilly and very rocky.

So there's something for everyone at Prince William Forrest Park. If you're ever in the Northern Virginia area, IT'S A MUST RIDE!

[Selkie]

I agree---when I lived in Garrisonville, my hubby and I used to run there all the time. That was before the urban sprawl ooozed into that part of the 95 corridor big time. PW Forest Park was such a peaceful place --- have you ventured back into the camping area, past the cemetary (sp?). I loved running back there in the dead of winter when no one was camping. In 96, we couldn't take the commute any longer and moved to Arlington which is a great community for bikers (I live within a half mile of the Custis Trail). Haven't been down that way since. Maybe hubby and I will come down and ride sometime once the awful snow melts!

[sarahfixit]

Thanks! I used to live in Sterling a long time ago and was perplexed at the lack of dirt to ride when I visited after new years. Yay, there's hope

[Selkie]

Sarah - if you visit Northern Virginia again, you should check out Great Falls Park (Virginia side)---there are some great mountain bike trails there. Also, the C&O canal towpath runs from Georgetown to someplace in Maryland (miles from DC). Anyway, that one is a mix of gravel/rock/dirt and closer in to DC, it's a slight upgrade heading west. No discernable hills but believe me, if you head away from the city, you are slowly climbing. It's a beautiful ride, though, especially in the fall. It goes right along the Potomac River. I don't do dirt anymore, as I'm now strictly a "paved surface" rider now. My 42 year old bones don't like being jostled nowadays

[sarahfixit]

I am surprised I hadn't thought of Algonquian and Great falls parks. My house was about 3 miles from algonquian on RT 7. Time changes many things. I moved out when I was 12 and up to that point I never knew fat tires existed. It was kinda funny looking back, since my old nieghborhood is really good on paved non-sidewalkish trails. I was amazed how tight and challenging they still were, even after 7 yrs of XC racing.
The W&OD was another of my favs. Rail trails are always so effective for seeing scenery and getting somewhere. Probbably once this snow goes away (still 7 inches here) I will be coming down for a ride trip.