Shira and I had some time today to fit in a fairly lengthy bike ride. We busted out a local map and realized that National Harbor would make an ideal destination (it would be a mere 20 miles round trip - easy!). To get there from Arlington, it seemed simple enough: head to Old Town Alexandria, cross over the Wilson Bridge, and bam! you'd be there. See:
View Bicycling directions to National Harbor, Fort Washington, MD in a larger map
My only real concern was that the Wilson Bridge wasn't going to be particularly bike friendly.
The ride started off delightfully. The weather was perfect and the trails were effectively empty. Apparently everyone was either traveling somewhere or putting in their last few hours of work before taking off for Thanksgiving. We found our way to the Wilson Bridge easily enough, and what do you know, it couldn't have been more bike/pedestrian friendly.
The biking/walking path on the bridge is quite wide, and there are a number of spots to stop along the way to gape out at the amazing views. The bridge trail leads right into a crushed stone waterfront trail, which in turn, takes you right to the harbor. It took us just about an hour to get from our front door to the Harbor.
On the way back I managed to convince Shira to stop at Jones Point Park. This little park has it all: playgrounds, open space to run around and wonderful history. You can take in the lighthouse there as well as the various boundary stones that mark DC and Virginia. Heck, you can even fish from the park.
All in all, this was an absolutely splendid ride. If you haven't explored the Wilson Bridge on your bike yet, it's definitely worth it.
A few photos from our trip, all from my new Galaxy S3. Man I love that panoramic feature!
View Bicycling directions to National Harbor, Fort Washington, MD in a larger map
My only real concern was that the Wilson Bridge wasn't going to be particularly bike friendly.
The ride started off delightfully. The weather was perfect and the trails were effectively empty. Apparently everyone was either traveling somewhere or putting in their last few hours of work before taking off for Thanksgiving. We found our way to the Wilson Bridge easily enough, and what do you know, it couldn't have been more bike/pedestrian friendly.
The biking/walking path on the bridge is quite wide, and there are a number of spots to stop along the way to gape out at the amazing views. The bridge trail leads right into a crushed stone waterfront trail, which in turn, takes you right to the harbor. It took us just about an hour to get from our front door to the Harbor.
On the way back I managed to convince Shira to stop at Jones Point Park. This little park has it all: playgrounds, open space to run around and wonderful history. You can take in the lighthouse there as well as the various boundary stones that mark DC and Virginia. Heck, you can even fish from the park.
All in all, this was an absolutely splendid ride. If you haven't explored the Wilson Bridge on your bike yet, it's definitely worth it.
A few photos from our trip, all from my new Galaxy S3. Man I love that panoramic feature!
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