The W&OD Trail

Running straight as a lance through the northern part of Ashburn is a mostly hidden stretch of asphalt on which no cars drive. It attracts more visitors annually than any of the Ashburn's malls, restaurants or theaters – visitors from all over the state – but few of us get more than a quick glimpse of them. Strangest of all, this “road” has only one narrow lane, yet it is more than broad enough to serve its several purposes.

The , known as “the skinniest park in Virginia,” goes some 45 miles from Alexandria northwest to Bluemont, not far from the West Virginia border. For all that length, it's only about 100-feet wide, following the path of the old W&OD Railroad. Paved and mostly level, it's a paradise mostly for bikers, though for some of it a graveled bridle path runs parallel to the asphalt.

The part through Ashburn begins a little past the new Pacific Boulevard exit (a convenient way to get to the Dulles 28 Center without using a drop of gas). From there it heads west over Loudoun County Parkway, leaving the village somewhere west of Belmont Ridge Road. I don't have a detailed map, and there are no “entering” and “leaving” signs at the borders, but the mile signs indicate that Ashburn's part runs about six miles, roughly between mile markers 28 to 34.

My home is more toward the eastern end of the Ashburn section, so I usually enter over the perilous gravel of Smith Switch Road off Gloucester Parkway (Although there is another unassuming little entrance near me in back of the parking lot at the Farmwell Station Middle School). The Smith Switch crossing is a good rest stop for those heading in either direction, with covered benches and portable potties.

Going west I pass under Ashburn Village Boulevard and make a straight run to the intersection at Ashburn Road, where there are benches for rest and the Carolina Brothers Pit Barbecue (formerly Partlow’s) for those in need of refreshment. Then it's a rare uphill pull to the overpass at Claiborne Parkway, where a tricky exit ramp leads to Trailside Park, with not much in the way of amenities there but a small detour to the Ashburn Library, which has air conditioning, toilets and cold drinking water.

The next intersection is at Belmont Ridge Road, a somewhat dangerous crossing, with cars coming downhill toward it in both directions and a limited line of sight. This is close to the Ashburn border (the ZIP code border follows Goose Creek in this area), but most riders will want to keep going, to stop at the fine view overlooking the Luck Stone Quarry; to pass high over the beautiful, wild part of Goose Creek; and then on to Leesburg, with its abundant pleasures and places of interest, including the haven of a bicycle repair shop on Catoctin Circle.

I'm pretty much a fair-weather bicyclist these days, confining myself to jaunts in mild temperatures and dry conditions. On any summer day, not too breezy, the trail can be almost crowded. Mostly, the riders are like me: casual hobbyists tooling along at an old man's pace of about 12 miles an hour.

The serious bikers whizz by in a flash, usually in twos and threes, grim and silent on their prime equipment. It's best not to annoy them by getting in their way and degrading their precious miles per hour. A level below me in the bicycle hierarchy, I guess, are the bicyclists on old three-speeds, the sweating guys on what must be their sons’ BMX bikes, the ladies delicately pedaling a borrowed vehicle too big for them.

Besides bicyclists upright on their proper two wheels, you will sometimes see runners, roller-bladers, drivers of elegant recumbents (i.e. sit-down bicycles), parents pulling their kids in special trailers, lovers on a morning walk, and even the occasional equestrian on the adjoining bridle path.

A few months ago, Mike Conway jokingly suggested that the W&OD should be returned to rail use as an economical alternative to the Metro extension. That won't happen for practical reasons, but also because the W&OD Trail has become an aesthetic and social experience as well as an athletic event.

So come on over, with or without a bicycle.

Next month: W&OD: When the trains ran

[Editor’s note: The W&OD is indeed a treasure. I happen to live very close to the Ashburn segment myself and walk on it quite a bit. I would encourage riders, at least once, to experience the western end of the trail, where parts are fully covered by the tree canopy. Visit the Friends of the W&OD Web site.]