Rode the trail from Herndon to the east end of the trail and back Saturday, and the western section between Purcellville and Herndon on Sunday. Magnolias at the Mill restaurant at the Purcellville end is GREAT! There is also a very good, and helpful bike shop right across the street. The only complaint I have is the indifferent, "it's all about me" attitude of some of the weekend Lance Armstrong wannabe's I experienced on the eastern part, as you get closer to D.C. This is a WONDERFUL multi-use trail that goes through lots of residential areas, so there are lots of families with small kids learning to ride their bikes, young couples with babies in strollers out enjoying the outdoors and elderly people out for a brisk walk. Everybody has as much right as the next person to be on this trail, and for the most part everyone is respectful of the different speeds and capabilities of the different users....except for those bikers who think this is their personal high-speed track. Seriously...some of the riders I witnessed need to confine their activities to the streets, where if they lose control or miscalculate the small spaces between the "obstacles" they try to zoom through at full speed, they will hit a car....not someone's child. Someone is really going to get seriously injured soon if these people don't exercise some common sense and self control!

trail was great, we got out early sunday & did 30 miles (reston to leesburg and back)....great surface, incredibly great signage, good facilities, well marked/traffic-lighted intersections.....we stayed at the hyatt in reston and walked from hotel to trail which was wonderful (the w&od official website has listings of lots of places to stay within walking distance of the trail)....everything about the trail itself was wonderful......but, nobody knows how to share the trail....bikers and walkers and joggers would be riding and walking two abreast and ignore our bell when we wanted to pass and continue to hog the lane....doesn't anyone know how to share.....and are we the only ones in america who have a bell on our bike to warn others???.....anyhow we had a wonderful time, but people....be considerate of others.....

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.