The Alexandria community is an excellent place to bike, whether it’s to work, to school, or just to get some exercise. Biking is fun, a great low impact workout, and is great for the environment as it can reduce our usage of cars. We are lucky to have some great trails and biking routes in our city. Here are some of our favorites!
Mount Vernon Trail
The Mount Vernon Trail is an 18-mile-long trail that runs from Theodore Roosevelt Island in Arlington all the way down to Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon Trail is among the most popular trails in the region, so if you’re looking for a quieter, leisurely ride, the Mount Vernon Trail may not be for you. However, the sites cannot be unmatched as in a matter of minutes, you can see historic Old Town as well as the beautiful waterfront south of Old Town, watch the airplanes from Gravelly Point, or check out the monuments along the Potomac waterfront.
Four Mile Run Trail
While not spending a ton of time in Alexandria, the Four Mile Run is easily accessible for Potomac Yard, Del Ray, Rosemont, and Warwick Village residents. The Four Mile Run trail connects with the Mount Vernon Trail near National Airport. Going west, bikers, and walkers can take the Four Mile Run Trail over to Shirlington to enjoy some of the wonderful shops and restaurants.
Holmes Run Trail
The Holmes Run Trail is a 3.1-mile-long trail extending between Cameron Run Regional Park (and the Eisenhower Avenue Trail), Dora Kelly Nature Park, and the Holmes Run Park. This trail connects N Pickett St, N Van Dorn St, N Beauregard St, and over to Arlington. Beer lovers love the Holmes Run Trail as it runs relatively close to both Port City Brewing and Aslin Beer Company.
Eisenhower Avenue Trail
The Eisenhower Avenue Trail extends 1.8 miles from Cameron Run Regional Park east towards the Eisenhower Metro Station. The trail ends near the Eisenhower Metro Station at Stovall Street. The trail also connects over to the Holmes Run Trail to the west. The Eisenhower Avenue Trail provides easy access to the new development of shops, restaurants, and residences at the new Carlyle Crossing.
Backlick Run Trail
The short 0.7-mile Backlick Run Trail connects Ben Brenman Park to Armistead Boothe Park via Backlick Run. The trail runs along the Cameron Station Linear Park and provides access to the Holmes Run Trail Network.
Potomac Yard Trail
The 2.1-mile Potomac Yard Trail runs from the Braddock Road Metro Station north along Potomac Avenue to connect with the Four Mile Run Trail up in Potomac Yard. This trail features exercise equipment, basketball courts, tennis courts, and numerous playgrounds. This trail makes it easy for those in Rosemont to easily bike/walk to Potomac Yard and then Arlington. This trail will also be easily accessible to the new Virginia Tech innovation campus currently under construction in Potomac Yard and the new Potomac Yard Metro station. The Innovation Campus will open in 2024, while the Metro station will open in late 2022.
Jones Point Park 
On the south end of Old Town, the Mount Vernon trail goes through Jones Point Park under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge offering some interesting views of underneath the massive structure. Once you get beyond Jones Point Park and come up on the south side of the bridge, you can then head up S. Washington Street to actually cross the bridge 6,700-foot bridge and bike/walk over to National Harbor.
Bike Stores
As for the bike stores, below are a few of the great bike stores in Alexandria that sell bikes for riders of any age and experience level.
Trek Bicylce Alexandria North
1545 N. Quaker Lane
Trek Bicycle’s location on Quaker Lane is one of several in the Arlington/Alexandria area. They offer great bikes for road biking, mountain biking, electric bikes, and bikes for kids. They also offer a price match for any bike sold in their store. They also promise that they can service your bike in 24 hours or less or they’ll give you a free loaner bike.
Conte’s Bike Shop
1100 King Street
Conte’s Bike Shop has several locations throughout Virginia and Washington, DC. Conte’s Bike Shop is a 10-time winner of the coveted “Top 100 Best Bicycle Retailers” in the country designation awarded by the National Bicycle Dealers Association. Conte’s Bike Shop offers all sorts of bikes including road bikes, mountain bikes, BMX bikes, electric bikes, and more. They also have repair services as well as fitting services to make sure your bike is the perfect fit for you.
Wheel Nuts
302 Montgomery Street
Located in the north end of Old Town, Wheel Nutz has been selling, repairing, and renting bikes since 1999. Wheel Nutz prides itself on being a commuter solution store as opposed to just a store that “sells stuff.” Their goal is to solve your challenges to commuting and running errands on your existing bike or a new purchase from Wheel Nuts. Wheel Nuts has bikes for all ages and experiences while offering a lifetime warranty and a 1-3 year warranty on the bike components. They also sell essential biking equipment as well as rental bikes if you’re not sure you want to buy yet.
Big Wheel Bikes
9 Prince Street
Big Wheel Bikes is a family-owned and operated bike shop that’s been in business now for over 50 years. They offer a variety of big-name bike brands to purchase for adults and kids as well as rentals. They also offer electric bikes and bike rentals to meet your biking needs.
Capital Bike Share
If you’re just looking for the occasional bike ride, perhaps renting a bike from Capital Bike Share might be more your speed. For a single ride, it’s $1 to unlock a bike, plus five cents per minute. They also offer an $8 day pass which is great for tourists and visitors. For serious riders, you can get an annual membership for $95 ($7.92 a month). We recommend downloading the app on your phone to easily unlock a bike at one of the 5,000 bikes at one of the 600+ bike stations in Alexandria, Arlington, DC, and parts of Maryland. Capital Bike Share has over 50 bike stations in Alexandria City, so you’re sure to have one close by if you’re in Alexandria.
The Bottom Line
Alexandria is a fantastic and safe place to bike. With so many different trails and places to get a bike, you’ll be riding in no time.
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