This entire trail is paved, relatively flat, and in excellent condition. The only problems would require expensive fixes, like reducing the number of road crossings. The crossings at Walter Reed Drive, George Mason Drive, Columbia Pike, Lee Highway, Gallows Road, Maple Ave, Hunter Mill Road, Wiehle Ave., Sterling Parkway, and Belmont Ridge Road should all eventually be eliminated as they are particularly dangerous and inconvenient. However, those are the ONLY problems with this trail! Many of the major crossings have already been dealt with.

Since that post in 2005, the Section between Bluemont Park and Carling Springs Road have been realigned, dodging the Four Mile Run trail that was in poor repair. This is one of the best, if not THE best, urban trails in the country! There are numerous services available along the way, such as water, food, and bike shops. At the southern terminus, there is a new connector under I-395 which will take you right to the Mount Vernon Trail, crossing NO roads past Shirlington Road.

The section in Arlington is heavily used, but there are few road crossing and, except where it parallels I66, very pleasant. The Falls Church stretch has many small road crossings: be careful! From Rt. 7, the trail climbs slowly where it crosses I66, then I495. The Dunn Loring area is a long, straight stretch, but with a few crossings, the worst at Gallows Road. Vienna makes a good stopping point. The trail runs 3 miles non-stop, and downhill through the Hunter Valley, then climbs into Reston, where there are a number of minor and major road crossings. Many of the biggest roads in Reston have happily been bypassed using under and overpasses, although this creates a few 'artificial" hills. The trail passes right through downtown old town Herdon, where there is a pleasant park and an interesting museum about the railroad. Past this lies Sterling, where there are few roads, lots of trees, but two big "dips". (If you've ridden this part, you know what I mean!) The trail passes over busy Route 28, and into "the straightaway": a long, straight, flat stretch with almost no road crossings. Stop at Smith's Switch Station for water and gatorade. At Ashburn Road, you come to a b-b-q resturant and furniture store alongside the trail. The "straighaway" continues until the trail curves toward Belmont Ridge Road: be VERY careful at this intersection! The trail passes a quarry, over Goose Creek, and through a meadow as it approaches Leesburg. Leesburg itself has a number of road crossings, but also some nice parks. Past Leesburg, one has a beautiful, wooded trail where you can find some peace and seclusion as you climb towards Clarks Gap, then wander past Paenonian Springs to Purcellville. Finally, the trail comes to an end at 44.77 miles.

The south end of the W&OD trail is a very pleasant ride beginning at Bluemont Park and heading south for about 4 miles. As you go south you are heading down a gradual descent following and crossing the 4 mile run river. There are a number of areas to stop and picnic and public restroom facilities in the Bluemont park. Just north of the park along the W&OD trail is the connection to the Custis trail. At the very south end of the trail it is easy to pick up the newly improved 4 mile run trail. The just completed improvements on the 4 mile run trail address the concerns raised by the previous poster and make a nice ride down to the Potomac river (intersecting the Mt. Vernon Trail at Reagan National airport.) If you continue along the 4 mile run and then return it doubles the ride to 16 miles (down and back.) Another option is to start at the Roosevelt park (next to the Potomac at the north end of the Mt. Vernon Trail) and pick up the other end of the Custis trail (a lot of hills.) The Custis trail will take you to the W&OD trail just north of Bluemont Park. Follow the W&OD trail to the south end and pick up the 4 mile run trail. Take it to the Mt Vernon trail and then follow the Mt Vernon trail back toward DC (be sure to stop at the end of the runway and watch a couple of planes take off overheard) arriving back at Roosevelt Park. The whole loop is about 18 miles.

We broke up the W&OD trail into 3 rides. What a great long rail trail. The western portion is particularly fine. We started from the Lake Fairfax Park campground. The trail is accessible from the campground, but the nature trail is too rough for road bikes (1.7mi.), never mind the deer ticks. There is a Performance Bike shop near the trail and campground. I rode with a father son (11 years old) team who were moving right along. We passed a prison work group working on the trail.