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Bicycling and Reagan National Airport
By spokesman | March 17, 2009
Bicycling to or from most major airports is virtually impossible. Most airports are accessible only by major highways. If you plan to start or finish a bicycle tour at an airport, it can be difficult. However Reagan National Airport is an exception to this general rule. The primary road into the airport is the George Washington Memorial Parkway which is parallel to the Mount Vernon Bicycle trail for several miles on each side of the airport. You can easily bike right out of the airport and connect to a vast network of trail around Washington. A larger version of the above map is on the Reagan National Airport website. Maps with routes to other Washington area trails is at Bikewashington.org.
You can easily and safely bicycle to the start of the C&O Tow Path if you want to ride the C&O/GAP. If you head north on the Mount Vernon trail, you can cross into Washington D.C. (the airport is actually in Virgina) via any one of several bridges including the 14th Street Bridge, the Arlington Memorial Bridge or Key Bridge near Georgetown. The C&O Canal begins in Georgetown. Each bridge has a sidewalk or bike path than can be used to cross the bridge safely.
From the Mount Vernon Trail you can access the W&OD trail which runs 45 miles to Purcellville, Virgina. From there you tour Virgina horse country or head towards the Blue Ridge Parkway, a popular touring route.
The airport is also served by Metro, which allows bikes during no-rush hour, so you can leave the airport via mass transit. There are many bike shops that are near Metro stops in case you need help with a repair or if you want to ship your bike to or from a shop. If you are planning a bike tour in the Washington area and need some help planning the logistics, feel free to e-mail me with any questions.
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Topics: Washington DC, C&O Canal/GAP |
March 20th, 2009 at 7:14 am
[…] spokesman created an interesting post today on Bicycling and Reagan National Airport | BicycleSpokesman.comHere’s a short outlineBicycling to or from most major airports is virtually impossible. Most airports are accessible only by major highways. If you plan to start or finish a bicycle tour at an airport, it can be difficult. However Reagan National Airport is … […]
March 20th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Hi there,
Not sure that this is true:), but thanks for a post.
Thanks
Joker
It is true, I bike the Mount Vernon Trail regularly and it goes right through the airport as shown on the map
Mike
May 14th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Most definatly true. I ride past Reagan National Airport frequently (although I never actually rode into the terminal). Readers should note the access the the W&OD trail is achieved by riding south on the Mt. Vernon trail and then west on the Four Mile Run trail.