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 Jul 28, 1:51 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.
54 mph wind — gusty and hazardous on exposed bridges and overpasses.
Pavement: wet — wet during the likely ride window — reduced braking, road spray, limited visibility to drivers.

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

84°F

Partly Cloudy
Wind

54 mph

SW
Rain

90%

Next 24h: 0.75"
Humidity

70%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

wet

paved surface
Sunrise

6:05 AM
Sunset

8:23 PM

393 min remaining

Best time today

Every remaining hour today is flagged hazardous. Save it for tomorrow.

Wind on this route

54 mph tailwind outbound — expect a 54 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 54 mph from the S (170°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering tailwind.

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

Elevation profile

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

Score breakdown

84°F air Within comfort range, outside ideal

-3

−

54 mph wind Gusty and hazardous on exposed bridges and overpasses.

-36

Quartering tailwind 54 mph tailwind outbound — expect a 54 mph headwind on the return.

−

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.