Alternatives to the Capital Crescent Trail closest to Georgetown?

[GTownBiker]

Hello All,

Each day, I ride my road bike down the Capital Crescent Trail from my home at 30th and K NW in Georgetown to the Bethesda Ave. terminus, and back for exercise. Love it.

As you likely know, the CCT is currently closed due to a broken sewage pipe and overflow.

Can anyone suggest some (hopefully paved) alternatives that are close to Georgetown? The closer the better, as I usually do this right before work.

Alternatively, is there a path to enter the CCT from Georgetown past the point of the sewage overflow?

I haven't inspected the conditions, so it is unclear as to how much of the paved section of the CCT running from Water St. in Georgetown to Bethesda Ave. is affected.

Many thanks for your ideas and suggestions.

[cvcalhoun]

You can take the Canal Towpath from Georgetown to Fletcher's Cove, then get onto the Capital Crescent Trail from there. Several people have reported that conditions on the Canal Towpath are good enough for road bikes. Getting up to the Canal Towpath just involves a short but steep climb up Wisconsin Avenue from K Street.

Hello All,

Each day, I ride my road bike down the Capital Crescent Trail from my home at 30th and K NW in Georgetown to the Bethesda Ave. terminus, and back for exercise. Love it.

As you likely know, the CCT is currently closed due to a broken sewage pipe and overflow.

Can anyone suggest some (hopefully paved) alternatives that are close to Georgetown? The closer the better, as I usually do this right before work.

Alternatively, is there a path to enter the CCT from Georgetown past the point of the sewage overflow?

I haven't inspected the conditions, so it is unclear as to how much of the paved section of the CCT running from Water St. in Georgetown to Bethesda Ave. is affected.

Many thanks for your ideas and suggestions.

[GTownBiker]

Great!

Where exactly is the entrance on Wisconsin Avenue to the towpath?

Many thanks.

[cvcalhoun]

It's between Potomac Street and Blues Alley on Wisconsin. If you just start up Wisconsin from K Street, you will see it. Just look for the canal, and then take the path that runs beside it. If you get as far as M Street, you've gone too far.

Great!

Where exactly is the entrance on Wisconsin Avenue to the towpath?

Many thanks.

[GTownBiker]

Fantastic. I'll be on it today.

Thanks!

[gswim18]

I ride from Bethesda to GU every day on the trail I have been jumping off at the Washington Aqueduct connector that take you up to Norton and then riding to campus on MacArthur/Reservoir. The traffic is not as bad as I thought it would be, might actually stick with this route when the trail opens again (shorter and less climbing).

[clever sobriquet]

I ride from Bethesda to GU every day on the trail I have been jumping off at the Washington Aqueduct connector that take you up to Norton and then riding to campus on MacArthur/Reservoir. The traffic is not as bad as I thought it would be, might actually stick with this route when the trail opens again (shorter and less climbing).

I highly recommend this route. Since the speed limit on MacArthur is rigorously enforced, traffic isn't bad and it's nice and flat (except for that short stretch coming from M St. on Canal to MacArthur on the trip out to Bethesda).

BTW - Coming from the DC side it looks like Norton is a dead end but there is a short unpaved connector to the CCT there.

[ebubar]

I'll confirm that the towpath is fine for my entry level road bike (Jamis Quest Comp). Actually set a Strava PR on the towpath the other day!

[brendan]

I'll confirm that the towpath is fine for my entry level road bike (Jamis Quest Comp). Actually set a Strava PR on the towpath the other day!

Hmm. I don't know the strava terms, but if PR had anything to do with speed, I hope it was a weekday (or other low-usage time) or farther out west...

The towpath inside the beltway (and/or near great falls) and mt. vernon trail are two areas where I don't think it's worth challenging my past speed records.

hopefully not too much of a buzzkill,
B

(

[Amalitza]

If I understand the question, you're not riding *to* Bethesda, you're just out for an out-and-back ride that can be wherever? And you prefer paved + trail? You can always just cross key bridge and turn right (custis trail) or left (mount vernon trail). You may know this already, in which case, never mind...