Historic RI Trolley Trail (Route 82 line) & NE Branch Trails

This is our first spring ride of the year. It’s a flat ride to get out legs warmed up for for year.

—-The date may change due to unforeseen circumstances—-

Distance
About 9 miles each way, with option to turn back earlier or to add more distance, if desired.

Trail description
The Rhode Island Trolley trail was once Route 82, a streetcar line from the Treasury building in DC up to Laurel, MD. We’ll see the 1902 turn table (now paved over) on Greenbelt Rd.

It’s a mostly shady, flat, paved trail that runs between neighborhoods. The surrounding towns make an effort to maintain nice landscapes along the trail and the trails have been kept clean year-to-year.

Bike through historic Riverdale with a quaint Marc train station.

We’ll ride to Lake Artemesia (do an 8 loop) and stop for bathroom and water break.

Pass by College Park Airport (Wright brothers,…)

Stop at Bladensburg Waterfront Park. A scenic park with bathrooms and water fountains.

On the way back, we'll briefly stop in Hyattsville for a water break. Options: Vigilante Coffee Shop (not if there's a long line) or at Franklin's, nearby.

Then we'll take the Rhode Island Trail up to The Station at Riverdale for a one-hour social/lunch break.

The entire route is mostly on paved trails, but we will need cross streets at the start and on return. All bike tires will work.

Required biking skills: You should have experience with biking at least ten miles so that you know you can complete this ride. And you should be comfortable riding across an intersection and using a bike lane.

Bathrooms
Available at Duvall Field Park, Bladensburg Waterfront Park, and in retail establishments in Riverdale and Hyattsville.

The Plan
Arrive 10:45 ish so you have time to find parking, get your bike, water bottles, your helmet on and check your tires. We'll do an intro and roll call at 10:55 and depart at 11:00 sharp. If you're late, leave a comment in the event comments and try to catch up.

ROUTE DESCRIPTION
First destination is Lake Artemesia. Start at Duvall Field Park in College Park. We’ll go down 3 blocks to the northern trailhead of the College Park Trolley Trail (aka Rhode Island Ave Trolley Trail).
After approx. one mile, we’ll take a detour by going left onto the Paint Branch Trail to go around Lake Artemesia in a figure-8 loop to enjoy the sights and sounds. Bathrooms are in the middle pathway.

Regroup at the little wooden bridge which crosses the narrowest part of the lake. We'll wait for everyone there, then go straight and turn right onto Indian Creek Trail which leads into Anacostia/NE Branch Trail.

Next destination is Bladensburg Waterfront Park. Take the Anacostia Tributary Trail System/ NE Branch Trail southward for 5 miles to the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. We'll stop at the visitor center to use the water fountain, bathrooms, and take in the views.

Next destination is Vigilante Coffee or Franklin's in Hyattsville for a ten-minute break. To get there, we'll reverse back and use the Anacostia River Trail and pathways/bike lanes for 2 miles.

Next destination is The Station at Riverdale. We'll take the Rhode Island Trail (behind Franklin's) up to The Station at Riverdale (a more recently developed shopping center with plenty of outdoor seating and food options) for a one-hour social/lunch break.
We’ll regroup at [TBD] at —time.

Next destination is Duvall Field, College Park (our end point). We’ll return to the Trolley Trail (from behind Franklin's) and continue north through Riverdale up to College Park.

REQUIREMENTS
Must wear a helmet while on your bike
We will bring first-aid items. We also have a small bike pump.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Cell phone with Google maps or other navigation app so you can put in the destination points and choose "Bicycle" as the mode
Water bottles, electrolytes, credit card, biking gloves, spare tire, sunglasses/bike cap, pocket or travel pouch, hand sanitizer, first aid kit, backpack, bike pump, bike lock, cell phone bike mount
PACE
This is a casual, social bike ride. We'll make a couple of stops to enjoy the views, sip water, talk and wait for people to catch up.

We will try to assist with a flat tire or slipped gear chain if you are between the lead and sweeper. If you get lost, you are expected to use your phone nav app or ask for help.

PARTICIPATION IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. If you fall behind and get hurt or have medical symptoms, you should call 911 immediately.