Alexandria, VA · mostly separated · paved

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (East)

2.1 mi Out-and-back 33 ft gain

2.1-mile paved route with 33 ft of elevation gain, signed as part of the regional cycle network, route reference “NHT”, operated by United States Department of Interior, National Park Service, mostly separated from motor traffic.

Live · updated Aug 11, 1:47 PM ET

Today's verdict

Thunderstorms in the forecast — lightning and cyclists are a bad combination.

Thunderstorms — lightning and cyclists do not mix — get off the road before they arrive.
Pavement: wet — wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.
25 mph wind — strong — plan for slow outbound if wind is against you.
86°F air — above road cycling's comfort zone (28–85°f). heat acclimation required.

0 /100

skip

0 Bike commuting

0 Road

0 E-bike

0 Bike-share

Best for bike commuting today

Route map

Orange marker is the start. Click the map to enable scroll-zoom — the polyline is approximate; use Ride with GPS or Komoot for turn-by-turn.

Atmosphere

Air temp

86°F

Clear
Wind

25 mph

W
Rain

18%

Next 24h: 0.17"
Humidity

55%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

wet

paved surface
Sunrise

6:18 AM
Sunset

8:08 PM

382 min remaining

Best time today

4 PM looks best — 88°F · 7 mph W wind · partly sunny.

2 PM

87°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

7 mph W

—

3 PM

88°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

7 mph W

—

4 PM Best

88°

Partly Sunny

7 mph W

5 PM

88°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

7 mph W

—

6 PM

86°

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

7 mph W

—

7 PM

85°

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

6 mph W

—

Wind on this route

25 mph headwind outbound — expect a 25 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 25 mph from the W (280°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering headwind.

Leg 1 Bearing 12° · crosswind 0.2 mi
Leg 2 Bearing 21° · crosswind 0.2 mi
Leg 3 Bearing 254° · headwind 0.2 mi
Leg 4 Bearing 256° · headwind 0.2 mi
Leg 5 Bearing 278° · headwind 0.1 mi
Leg 6 Bearing 311° · quartering headwind 0.2 mi
Leg 7 Bearing 288° · headwind 0.2 mi
Leg 8 Bearing 9° · crosswind 0.1 mi

Elevation profile

80 ft gain 244 ft loss Max 194' Min 0' 1.8 mi sampled

Score breakdown

−

86°F air Above road cycling's comfort zone (28–85°F). Heat acclimation required.

-2

−

25 mph wind Strong — plan for slow outbound if wind is against you.

-18

−

Quartering headwind 25 mph headwind outbound — expect a 25 mph headwind on the return.

-4

−

Thunderstorms Lightning and cyclists do not mix — get off the road before they arrive.

-45

−

Pavement: wet Wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.

-32

About this route

Distance: 2.1 mi one-way (double for round-trip)
Elevation gain: 33 ft
Surface: paved
Shape: Out-and-back
Traffic exposure: mostly separated
Activities: road cycling · e bike · commuting · bike share-touring
Cycle network: RCN · route NHT
Operator: United States Department of Interior, National Park Service
Start: 38.7969, -77.0034
City hub: Alexandria, VA
OSM: relation 13354024

Description sourced from OpenStreetMap relation tags and member-way geometry.