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 Oct 27, 7:57 AM ET

Today's verdict

Workable day to get the road bike out.

52°F air — right in road cycling's sweet spot
21 mph wind — noticeable — pacing will shift with the wind.

61 /100

good

62 Bike commuting

61 Road

63 E-bike

51 Bike-share

Best for e-bike riding 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

52°F

Clear
Wind

21 mph

NE
Rain

2%

Next 24h: 0.00"
Air quality

AQI 52

PM2.5 · Moderate
Humidity

82%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

dry

paved surface
Sunrise

7:29 AM
Sunset

6:14 PM

618 min remaining

Best time today

8 AM looks best — 50°F · 5 mph N wind · sunny. 9 AM is a close second (71/100).

8 AM Best

50°

Sunny

5 mph N

9 AM

55°

Sunny

5 mph N

10 AM

59°

Sunny

6 mph NE

11 AM

64°

Sunny

6 mph NE

12 PM

66°

Sunny

5 mph NE

1 PM

68°

Sunny

5 mph NE

2 PM

69°

Sunny

3 mph NE

3 PM

70°

Sunny

3 mph NE

4 PM

70°

Sunny

5 mph NE

5 PM

69°

Sunny

5 mph E

Wind on this route

21 mph headwind outbound — expect a 21 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 21 mph from the N (360°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering headwind.

Leg 1 Bearing 12° · headwind 0.2 mi
Leg 2 Bearing 21° · headwind 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 headwind 0.2 mi
Leg 7 Bearing 288° · crosswind 0.2 mi
Leg 8 Bearing 9° · headwind 0.1 mi

Elevation profile

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

Score breakdown

52°F air Right in road cycling's sweet spot

+10

−

21 mph wind Noticeable — pacing will shift with the wind.

-6

−

Quartering headwind 21 mph headwind outbound — expect a 21 mph headwind on the return.

-4

Pavement: dry Clean dry pavement — maximum grip.

AQI 52 Moderate air — fine for shorter commutes, cut intervals short.

-3

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.