Where to Bike Washington DC: Best Biking in the City and Suburbs Spiral-bound – September 21, 2011

I was getting ready for a trip to the DC area, planning to take my bike and wanted one book with a list of local rides. This book fit the bill. There are over 50 routes listed in DC, Maryland and Virginia, including areas on the Eastern shore. Especially helpful is the table of ride overviews, which lists whether the route is on path, road, distance, and uses a rating system based on biking experience. Here, I do quibble, since some routes like the C&O canal, rated as "3," could easily be a "1," depending on where you ride and how long. All the longer rides can be shortened as an "in and out." The rides are described as "at a glance," including the elevations and brief description of route and side trips of interest. A "ride log" gives the directions to keep you oriented. The maps are just "okay," though. There is not a lot of detail, but do let you see the start and finish and rest stops. Also, there are no GPS coordinates for those who would like that feature. Overall very satisfactory, listing routes I had no idea existed. I was able to pick rides that fit my abilities and interests.

This is a truly great book. I borrowed it from the library and was enjoying it so much, that I renewed it 3x before deciding I had to buy it. Lots of wonderful rides all around the Washington, D.C. area with turn-by-turn directions, pictures, altitude information, great descriptions of traffic and road descriptions. NOTE: On page 204 there is a typo. At 18.3 miles it tells you to make a right turn onto Lower Marlboro Rd. It is a LEFT. I recently took the route, right is very wrong. Also, the "Go right" referenced at 15.6 miles is a hard right and the road is unmarked at this point, so keep track of your mileage or use GPS to check where you are.

This book is very well produced, but it's just not that informative. It suggests routes, but they're not great. It's like they consulted a map and then suggested that you ride on this street for 2 miles, then make a left on that street for another 2 miles, etc. They provide you with a loop and tell you the distance. But that's not worth much. Most of the routes are just streets. Not trails or bike paths or streets with dedicated bike lanes. So how helpful can it be to pick out a few streets in a town, give you directions, and tell you the distance? The author suggested a bike route in my neighborhood. The route goes down a very busy road with no dedicated bike lane, little space to ride, and limited viewing distances from passing cars. True, there are bikers who use this route. But they do it in a huge pack of riders. You shouldn't ride that route solo. Save your money and pick out your own route with a free on-line map.

This is the best bike route book for the DC metro area that I have found, and I’ve looked a lot. It lists rides based on many factors, including kid-friendly. I liked the book so much that I bought extra copies to give to cycling friends with kids. :)

love this book.