# DC and VA Riders Opinion Please



## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

I'm going to be out for a tourist trip in October.

I'm thinking of riding from the Rental Bike Shop to the Bull Run Battlefield and back.

Goggle Bike says do this:

220 Twentieth Street - New Luxury Apartment Residences
220 20th Street SouthArlington, VA 22202
(703) 416-0220 

1. Head east on 20th St S toward Crystal Dr 
33 ft 
2. Turn right onto Crystal Dr 
0.2 mi 
3. Turn right onto 23rd St S 
0.1 mi 
4. Turn left onto S Clark St 
0.4 mi 
5. Turn left onto 27th St S 
200 ft 
6. Turn right toward Four Mile Run Park Trail 
0.6 mi 
7. Turn right toward Four Mile Run Park Trail 
203 ft 
8. Turn right onto Four Mile Run Park Trail 
0.1 mi 
9. Continue onto Four Mile Run Trail 
0.7 mi 
10. Slight left to stay on Four Mile Run Trail 
0.4 mi 
11. Turn left to stay on Four Mile Run Trail 
0.3 mi 
12. Turn left to stay on Four Mile Run Trail 
0.5 mi 
13. Turn right onto Shirlington Connector Trail 
246 ft 
14. Slight left onto Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
1.6 mi 
15. Turn right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.7 mi 
16. Slight right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.6 mi 
17. Slight left to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
1.7 mi 
18. Turn left toward Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
66 ft 
19. Turn right toward Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.1 mi 
20. Continue straight onto Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.2 mi 
21. Turn right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.2 mi 
22. Turn right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
62 ft 
23. Keep right at the fork 
36 ft 
24. Turn right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
367 ft 
25. Continue onto N Tuckahoe St 
0.1 mi 
26. Turn right onto Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.3 mi 
27. Slight right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
266 ft 
28. Slight right to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
1.0 mi 
29. Continue straight to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.3 mi 
30. Slight left to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.5 mi 
31. Keep left at the fork 
0.7 mi 
32. Slight left to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
0.3 mi 
33. Turn left to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
2.8 mi 
34. Slight left to stay on Washington and Old Dominion Trail 
269 ft 
35. Turn left toward Mill St SE 
285 ft 
36. Turn right onto Mill St SE 
36 ft 
37. Mill St SE turns slightly left and becomes Cherry St SE 
0.1 mi 
38. Turn left onto Center St S 
154 ft 
39. Turn right onto Elm St SW 
0.3 mi 
40. Turn right onto Plum St SW 
417 ft 
41. Turn left onto Courthouse Rd SW 
1.8 mi 
42. Turn left onto Chain Bridge Rd 
0.8 mi 
43. Turn right onto Co Rd 655/Jermantown Rd 
30 ft 
44. Turn right onto Cross County Trail 
1.2 mi 
45. Turn right onto Jermantown Rd 
0.1 mi 
46. Turn left onto Carol St 
26 ft 
47. Turn right toward Jermantown Rd 
0.7 mi 
48. Turn right toward Jermantown Rd 
49 ft 
49. Turn left onto Jermantown Rd 
0.2 mi 
50. Turn right onto James Swart Cir 
308 ft 
51. Turn right to stay on James Swart Cir 
0.1 mi 
52. Turn right to stay on James Swart Cir 
305 ft 
53. Turn left 
1.6 mi 
54. Turn right 
0.9 mi 
55. Slight left 
0.5 mi 
56. Turn right at Fairfax County Parkway Trail 
2.5 mi 
57. Turn left 
43 ft 
58. Turn right 
0.4 mi 
59. Keep right at the fork 
0.3 mi 
60. Slight right at Fount Beattie Ct 
0.6 mi 
61. Turn left toward Green Trails Blvd 
0.7 mi 
62. Turn right onto Green Trails Blvd 
141 ft 
63. Continue onto Old Mill Rd 
0.2 mi 
64. Turn left onto Co Rd 859/Mt Olive Rd 
0.8 mi 
65. Continue straight onto Compton Rd/State Route 658 
2.0 mi 
66. Turn right onto Bull Run Post Office Rd/State Route 621 
1.1 mi 
67. Turn left onto US-29 S/Lee Hwy 
2.2 mi 
68. Turn right onto VA-234 N/Sudley Rd 
0.5 mi 

Manassas National Battlefield Park
6511 Sudley Rd, Manassas, VA 20109-2358 

Any tips, warnings, or other ideas.

Thanks
Scot


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Should be OK, not sure what 29 looks like at that part, it could have a bit of traffic, but the rest is OK. If it's Bull Run you want to see; if you want the miles, you can stay on the W&OD all the way to Purceville and then there are some back roads in Purceville that are great. Be careful on 4 Mile Run and the W&OD to Reston, lot's of babyjoggers, rollerbladers and couples in gagaland.

If you are in town October 15th, you might want to consider the Seagull Century in Salisbury, MD


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

Scot_Gore said:


> I'm going to be out for a tourist trip in October.
> 
> I'm thinking of riding from the Rental Bike Shop to the Bull Run Battlefield and back.
> 
> ...


Scot

I haven't been on this forum in a long time, so I apologize for not responding sooner to your post. I never have ridden to the Bull Run Battlefield, but I have ridden the W&OD Trail. Is is generally well-paved, well-maintained and easy to ride. If you have not done so already, I would PM MB1. He and Miss M know the roads in that part of the world better than almost anyone. I would be apprehensive about riding on Route 29, which is a major road. They might know an alternative.


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## JimF22003 (Apr 30, 2009)

I can't think of a good way to get to the Manassas battlefield on a bike. I wouldn't ride 29, or try to come in from Manassas. You might be able to come in from the north on Sudley Rd., but I wouldn't try it.

The park is a great place to go for a walk


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## notoriousdjw (Feb 7, 2008)

Everything up to getting on W&OD is fine. The roads through Vienna are OK but they route you on a section of Rt. 123/Chainbridge that will be too busy to ride in the lanes. There is sidewalk there so you can do that. Jermantown is also somewhat busy and I don't know the status of the shoulder/sidewalk.

The roads near the end like Compton I remember being twisty and rolling with no real shoulder and 29 is very busy so hopefully you can ride the shoulder or sidewalk (not sure what is there...

One way to make the trip less frightful would be to stay on W&OD to Reston (another 6 or 7 miles) and turn south on 7100 Fairfax County Parkway. There is a bike trail adjacent to the parkway (On the east side) that is not the smoothest but is safe. Also if you get out early you do see people bike on the Parkway itself. It is a 50mph road but wide and I think the shoulder is paved enough to ride....I'll check and report back on my next drive there. 

Punch in a google bike route from Reston to the battlefield and it will route you down Fairfax County Parkway to Stringfellow, Lees Corner, Westfields,and then something called Cub Run trail. If Cub Run didn't work out you could head down Stone Rd. The section of 29 out there is relatively less traveled than it is closer to the city but it could still be a bit hairy. It would add some mileage but I would generally prefer those roads.


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