Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wolf Trap by bike
The other night we rode to Wolf Trap to see Wilco. We live in Reston and it's a short, approximately 5 mile ride from our house to the Filene Center. We take the W&OD Trail, Clarks Crossing Road, Beulah Road, and Trap Road to the Wolf Trap entrance. It takes about 30 minutes. Clarks Crossing Road is very bike-friendly. Beulah Road is narrow with no shoulder, but it's downhill when headed toward Wolf Trap and it's a short section. Trap Road is wide until the stop sign at Gelding Lane where it becomes narrow with no shoulder. There is a wide, paved asphalt trail along Trap Road that we took until it ended at the Dulles Toll Road bridge where we got on the road for the rest of the trip. A ped/bike bridge over the Toll Road is planned and partially funded. Here's a map of the route from Reston to Wolf Trap.
While there is a bike rack at the entrance to the Filene Center, it's the cheesiest rack I've ever seen. It's made out of lightweight metal and it's almost impossible to use a U-lock to lock the bike. We were surprised to see two other bikes in the rack. Afterwards the couple who owned the bikes said it was their first time riding there but it wouldn't be their last. The trip home was a breeze. Exiting traffic was going slow and mostly turning onto the Toll Road. We were half way home in the time it usually takes to leave the parking lot. And it was a fun ride home in the dark. Good reflective gear and bright lights are recommended.
Both Ian and The Wash Cycle have written about riding to Wolf Trap. I plan to write to the park to suggest that inverted U racks be installed.
Labels: wolf trap
Comments:
Post a Comment