Seatbelts Everyone! Explore the WB&A Rail Trail
On Saturday, Oct 11 at 1:00 pm, join WABA for a field trip into PG County to the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Trail. With summer just behind us and hints of fall colors on every tree, now is the perfect time to get out for a trail ride. Join us for a relaxed, family friendly ride, a look at an exciting emerging rail trail, and a discussion of the possibilities for connecting the trail to the District.
As you move from busy urban areas towards quiet suburbs, the places you want to go tend to be farther from each other. As destinations spread out, roads get wider, faster, and more like highways, and if you get around by bike, just getting to the grocery can be tricky. Traffic calming, bike lanes, and side paths are essential, but they cannot compete with the joys of a rail trail. The Washington Baltimore & Annapolis Trail is still a work in progress, but is already a fantastic bike highway.
The WB&A runs a total of 10.25 paved miles over two discontinuous stretches in Maryland’s PG and Anne Arundel Counties. It follows the route of the long abandoned WB&A Electric railroad offering a direct path from Glen Dale to the Patuxent River, then to Odenton. Though a 1.4 mile gap remains between the two built segments, the built portions through quiet woods and open sunlight are already a dream to ride. And don’t forget the bridges and tunnels that whisk riders past those busy roads.
On Saturday, we will meet at the end of the PG County segment near the Patuxent River and bike westward towards DC, then turn around and head back. Along the way, we’ll discuss the trail’s history, current holdups, and some possible connections towards DC. This will be a completely off street and relaxed ride, so feel encouraged to pile the family in the car to join in.
This is the third and final tour of our future trails series this fall. We are grateful to our good friends at REI for making this series possible. Be on the lookout for future trail advocacy and events later this fall. Read more about our trails advocacy partnership with REI.
This is the third and final tour of our future trails series this fall. We are grateful to our good friends at REI for making this series possible. Be on the lookout for future trail advocacy and events later this fall. Read more about our trails advocacy partnership with REI.