Takin’ It to the Streets: Low-Stress Routes

Arlington has a great low-stress street grid to give you other places to move if the trails are too crowded.

Explore these routes on non-trail, low-stress, and low-volume corridors for your essential travel and exercise. Bonus: This knowledge of the on-street network will help you bike around Arlington anytime!

MIMs: N Monroe St—N Irving St—S Irving St—S Monroe St

Distance: 4.5 miles

Nearby Points of Interest

Arlington Central Library, Clarendon, Thomas Jefferson Community Center, Shirlington

Neighborhoods

Cherrydale, Virginia Square, Ashton Heights, Arlington Heights, Alcova Heights, Douglass Park, and Green Valley

This route takes you from Lee Highway, through the heart of Virginia Square, and all the way to Green Valley Town Square. Shirlington is just across Four Mile Run. Map this route.

The Education Special: N 26th St from Washington Blvd to Military Rd

Distance: 3.3 miles

Nearby Points of Interest

Lee-Harrison Shopping Center

Neighborhoods

East Falls Church, Leeway, Yorktown, Old Dominion, and Donaldson Run

This neighborhood street route is called The Education Special as it starts close to Tuckahoe Elementary and Bishop O’Connell high schools. It goes within three blocks of Yorktown High School, before continuing past Marymount University. This gets you to Old Dominion Dr which has bike lanes to take you to Lee Highway, or you can keep going straight for a hilly mile to Military Rd. Map this route.

Harrison Hills: N Harrison St

Distance: 2.4 miles

Nearby Points of Interest

Virginia Hospital Center, Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, Discovery Elementary School, Williamsburg Middle School

Neighborhoods

Bluemont, Brockwood, Tara-Leeway Heights, Yorktown, and Rockspring

Heading north from Wilson Boulevard, this hilly jaunt will get you all the way to Williamsburg Boulevard and the County border with McLean. It’s low-volume, so feel free to zig-zag the climbs if you need to and, as always, enjoy the grind! Map this route.

MOMs: N. McKinley Rd—N Ohio St—Marshall Dr Links

Distance: 2.3 miles

Nearby Points of Interest

Eden Center, East Falls Church Metro Station, McKinley Elementary School, Westover Shopping Center, Nottingham Elementary School.

Neighborhoods

Dominion Hills, Madison Manor, Westover, Leeway, and Williamsburg

This route roughly parallels N Harrison St with the start being about a mile west on Wilson Blvd. It heads north past McKinley Elementary School and across I-66, past Westover, and then to Lee Hwy where there is the one tricky crossing. It continues through some short trail links to different streets before ending on Williamsburg Blvd about a quarter mile from N Harrison St. Combined, the two routes make a nice 5-mile loop route. Map this route.

Bike Boulevards: 9th St S and 12th St S

Distance: 1.3 miles each

Nearby Points of Interest

Columbia Pike Farmers Market

Neighborhoods

Douglass Park, Arlington Village, Columbia Heights, Penrose, Arlington Heights, and Alcova Heights

These two bike boulevards parallel Columbia Pike, one south and one north. The southern bike boulevard route (west to east) starts at George Mason Dr and ends at S Cleveland St. Continue through some commercial parking lots to get further east. The northern bike boulevard starts at S Wayne St. After crossing S Glebe Rd, it’s a straight shot to its terminus into S. Quincy Street. Map the 9th St S route or map the 12th St S route.

South Eads Street

Distance: 1.6 miles

Nearby Points of Interest

Amazon H2Q, Whole Foods, Crystal City Metro stations, S 23rd Street Restaurant Row, ART Bus Depot, and Water Treatment Plant

Neighborhoods

Pentagon City, Crystal City, Aurora Highlands, and Arlington Ridge

This route is a protected bike lane for most of its length, so it’s probably the easiest to navigate. From the northern-most point, enter at Army-Navy Dr and head south, where it’s a straight shot all the way to S Glebe Rd and the Four Mile Run Trail. Map this route.

Share Your Route

These are just a few low-stress routes that you can take to avoid crowded trails. What low-stress routes are you using? Let us know the streets that you’re using.