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 Sep 9, 7:07 AM ET

Today's verdict

Marginal conditions — get the road bike out if you have to.

37 mph wind — gusty and hazardous on exposed bridges and overpasses.
70°F air — right in road cycling's sweet spot

41 /100

49 Bike commuting

41 Road

55 E-bike

59 Bike-share

Best for bike-share touring 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

70°F

Sunny
Wind

37 mph

S
Rain

0%

Next 24h: 0.00"
Humidity

83%

Surface & daylight

Pavement

dry

paved surface
Sunrise

6:44 AM
Sunset

7:26 PM

740 min remaining

Best time today

8 AM looks best — 69°F · 7 mph S wind · sunny. 9 AM is a close second (74/100).

8 AM Best

69°

Sunny

7 mph S

9 AM

72°

Sunny

7 mph SW

10 AM

78°

Mostly Sunny

8 mph SW

11 AM

81°

Mostly Sunny

8 mph SW

12 PM

83°

Mostly Sunny

9 mph SW

1 PM

86°

Sunny

10 mph SW

2 PM

87°

Sunny

12 mph S

3 PM

88°

Sunny

12 mph S

4 PM

89°

Sunny

12 mph S

5 PM

87°

Mostly Sunny

12 mph S

6 PM

86°

Mostly Clear

10 mph S

Wind on this route

37 mph tailwind outbound — expect a 37 mph headwind on the return.

Currently 37 mph from the S (190°). Relative to this ride's overall bearing, a quartering tailwind.

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

70°F air Right in road cycling's sweet spot

+10

−

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

-36

Quartering tailwind 37 mph tailwind outbound — expect a 37 mph headwind on the return.

Pavement: dry Clean dry pavement — maximum grip.

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.