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| Old Carriage Road   | 
| Location: Virginia, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 38.99320°N / 77.2532°W County: Fairfax Technical Difficulty: Easy Aerobic Difficulty: Easy Layout: Point to Point Elevation Gain: 250 ft / 76 m Length: 4.0 Mi / 6.4 Km
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| Page By: Bob Sihler Created/Edited: Jun 29, 2008 / May 24, 2009 Object ID: 266772 Hits: 845 Loading... Page Score: 85.56% - 8 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Woodland and River Scenery
Overview and Route Description
The Old Carriage Road is one of three trails in Great Falls Park, administered by the National Park Service, open to bicycles, the other two being the Difficult Run Trail and the Ridge Trail. The Old Carriage Road is about 3 miles long, and it can be combined with those other two trails to make a route of up to 7-10 miles. The trail connects Great Falls Park with Riverbend Park, a county-maintained facility. Where the carriage road ends in Riverbend, it is possible to follow the River Trail about a mile upstream to the picnic area, boat launch, and visitor center. The River Trail connects Riverbend Park and Great Falls Park and is closed to bicycles in all other sections.
The Old Carriage Road is, as its name implies, an old carriage road. Although carriages no longer travel it, it is still maintained in its historical state and as such is no singletrack. The surface is a packed gravel that is slippery when wet but is free of obstacles. The trail is popular not only with bike riders but also with hikers, runners, and horseback riders. Although there are some hills, a few of them long relative to the length of the trail, it is an easy ride. Except for a stretch through the parking areas in Great Falls Park, the trail is a pleasant trip through a woodland setting and seems far removed from the crowds that congregate at the nearby falls overlooks.
Trail Description and Highlights
Spur trails, except as otherwise noted here, are closed to bikes. Most have signs indicating that, but those that don't are still closed to wheels. As already stated, the only trails open to bikes here are this one, the Difficult Run Trail, and the Ridge Trail.
The northern end of the trail is, as stated already, in Riverbend Park. The southern end is on Georgetown Pike at the boundary of Great Falls Park. Riding the trail from south to north, the first point of notice is an intersection a few tenths of a mile from Georgetown Pike. The intersecting trail here is the Ridge Trail, which runs about half a mile in both directions here-- left to the park entrance road, right to the Difficult Run Trail. Continue straight.
After a nice downhill stretch, there is another notable intersection. One trail leads uphill ahead and to the right. That is a hiking trail and is closed to bikes, as a sign there indicates. Directly right, though, the trail, again really an old carriage road, leads about 0.2 mi past an old quarry and down to a nice spot on the Potomac River with views of and access to some of the cliffs of Mather Gorge, the narrow channel the river rushes through right after it spills over the falls. This spur is open to bikes.
The main trail continues to the left. About 1.5 miles from the starting point, the trail reaches and passes through the picnic and parking areas of the park. To continue to Riverbend Park, ride through the parking lots. Before you reach the last lot (there is a dumpster at the end of it), look for a mucky pong (Clay Pond) right off the road on the left. Take the left-branching road here, which has a chain closing it to motor vehicles, to continue with the Old Carriage Road route.
It's then 1.5-2 miles to the other end, which is in a small meadow by the River Trail in Riverbend Park. You can turn around here or follow this new trail upstream about a mile to the parking area for the park. The trail is narrow here, a hiking path, and it is very popular (also used by horses), so go slow and expect to yield to others. Because of all the traffic, it's really not a very enjoyable ride, though the scenery is pretty and worth viewing.
Trail map and other information for Great Falls Park
Information about Riverbend Park
Getting There
From the western part of I-495, a piece of the Capital Beltway, take Exit 44 for Route 193, Georgetown Pike; this is the second exit south of the Maryland border. Drive west for a few miles until you see the well-signed road leading to Great Falls Park. Turn right and follow the road about a mile to the entrance station, where there is a $5 entrance fee. There are two large parking lots after the entrance station, and another one reached by a right turn immediately after the entrance station. This is the best access point of the three covered in this section.
The southern end is reached from the Difficult Run parking area. This signed parking area is off the south side of Georgetown Pike less than a mile east of the turnoff for Great Falls Park. From the parking lot, go right on Georgetown Pike a short distance (a walk of less than five minutes) until you see the carriage road on the north side. A chain across it blocks access to motor vehicles, and a sign indicates that parking is not allowed. This method of access is very dangerous and not recommended; the road had sharp curves here, there is little or no shoulder, and visibility is poor.
To get to Riverbend Park, continue past the Great Falls Park entrance road on Georgetown Pike about a mile and turn right onto Riverbend Road, where there is also a sign indicating access to the park. Follow the signs to the park; it is a drive of about five minutes. This is a safe way to access the trail, but it requires a ride along the narrow, heavily used River Trail first.
When to Ride
Any season. Spring and fall are best for both weather and scenery.
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