Cabin John

[jtauber]

Thought I'd try closeby Cabin John.

I've ridden the section between Seven Locks & Bradley that people say is the best stretch. And the main trails are ok, nothing notable other than they are open. Today, I tried the trail north of Tuckerman. Parked at 7701 Tuckerman and went west 40 yards to the trail entrance.

Tough going. If you have FS you might give this a go. You can take the trail all the way back til it ends, cross the creek and come back the Blue trail to the camp road.
I may be a weekend warrior, but this patch west of Cabin John Creek would be challenging for anyone. If you think you can jump logs, this will test your self esteem.

[liznotter]

This section of trail is still in development.... we cleared all of it and bench cut parts of it this fall... the bridges will be put in by the county, hopefully by Spring.

The more people we get riding it in, the better.

[jtauber]

liznotter,

first and foremost, kudos for designing this trail. the trail is thoughtfully laid out in the terrain.

i'm certain when more people find out about this new trail, they will come and appreciate it too. You will get both the curious, and repeat ridership. this substantially increases the attraction of Cabin John Park for mtb enthusiasts.

(just a thought...might help get exposure if Cabin John could be moved from "Miscellaneous" trails thread to main "Trail Conditions" thread.)

thank you for your involvement in making this new trail available. I will be watching the Trail Work thread and volunteer to help in the spring.

[BottomBraket]

perfect today, really hard moist clay with no dust in my wake. The clay is so hard packed, no tire tread are left behind. The trial is very fast, likely the best Cabin John trail conditions I've ever seen. :) :p


It spinkled a bit on my way back. More rain my not be good for the trail.

[jtauber]

perfect today, really hard moist clay with no dust in my wake. The clay is so hard packed, no tire tread are left behind. The trial is very fast, likely the best Cabin John trail conditions I've ever seen. :) :p


It spinkled a bit on my way back. More rain my not be good for the trail.

Wanted bad to ride SF after work today, but evening family commitment and not confident about trail conditions meant check out CJ on way home.

Super enjoyable. Blue trail deserted except for 1 biker and 1 hiker trio. Some roots and some rocks and not wet. A great escape.

[jtauber]

perfect today, really hard moist clay with no dust in my wake. The clay is so hard packed, no tire tread are left behind. The trial is very fast, likely the best Cabin John trail conditions I've ever seen. :) :p


It spinkled a bit on my way back. More rain my not be good for the trail.

I walked CJ this afternoon to get an idea if I could ride later this afternoon. Entered the trailhead at ballfield #3. To the right was muddy. To the left on the blue trail it was ok in the hilly area. Back near the tennis court was tacky with muddy spots.

Generally speaking, CJ is ridable earlier after rains than Schaeffer so this is where I check as its closer. One biker was encountered and he said is was muddy. I guess i'll hope for SF next weekend.

OTOH with the free time I wiped down and my oiled my bike and it looks GREAT! This is really helping with my self-discipline and trail etiquette.

[skillet999]

Good near the "inner loops" near the ball fields, real muddy along the creek in many, many areas. I walked through with my doggie yesterday from River Rd up to Democracy. All trails along the river are real beat up.

[jtauber]

Thanks for the report. Having not ventured south of Democracy, that's good information.

As of now, I'm thinking maybe last week of June will be ridable. I know. Hope dies last.

[atlantis]

CJ is in pretty good shape with a few minor exceptions.

The former wetspots are now hardbaked rutted messes. Up near the ball fields/powerline a kind soul has tried putting down leafy branches. I will try and remove them soon, if someone else doesn't.

There is a tree down 3/4 of a mile in the new trail section between Tuckerman and Goya. This is right near the homemade footbridge.

I cleared the trail up to this point yesterday so that it's no longer as much of a jungle fest as it has been recently. The corridor should now be the proscribed 4x8 except in 2 small sections where a few more people are necessary to clear a couple of larger hedges.

Also watch out for the new water bars on the first big hill when heading from Democracy to Tuckerman.

[dirtgirl]

How long does CJ take to dry out enough to ride after a rain? I've been looking for a local trail for afterwork rides (work in downtown Bethesda) that doesn't require heroic efforts to beat out traffic on 270, the potomac bridge, or 95. Thanks! Michelle

[skillet999]

Hey DG,

The CJ trail is on about the same "get wet, dry" schedule as Schaeffer, Hoyles Mill, and Black Hills (assuming you are MoCo trails familiar). There are a few wet spots, generally close to the creek that tend to dry a little slower but there are ride-arounds and all in all - the trails holds up pretty well after getting wet. The trails up by CJ regional park (baseball fields, ice rink) tend to survice very well as they are sloped, rooty and tend to shed water. The trails from River Road to Tuckerman tend to be more wet as they are flat and close to the creek. Just use the same guidelines as Schaeffer and you'll be ok.

As for an after work alternative - the place is a lot of fun and you can get a good 1.5 hours of riding without backtracking. You won't confuse this place for Gambrill but it is a good time. I recommend that you start at either the River Road entrance or the CJ regional park entrance and ride an out and back. The trail stretches from River and goes to CJ regional but there are some extensions and alternatives (especially around CJ Reg Park) so take a looksy.

The most difficult piece of the whole ride is crossing over Seven Locks to pick up the extension that goes to River Road (or vice versa). There are good maps posted that explain the crossing well but it does involve maybe a 100 yards of riding on the shoulder of 7 Locks. All in all, try it out, you'll be happy that you did. My wife, sister, kids all ride there - one of us could show you if you want a tour as we are often up there.

[GF70]

I used to ride the CJ trails since I grew up there. My friends and I would do a race loop every now and then.

As for how to find the CJ extension when you hit Seven Locks...Starting from the River Rd entrance, the first road you'll encounter is Bradley Blvd and the next one is Seven Locks Rd. When facing Seven Locks continue to your left. You have to hop on road for a little to Democracy Blvd. Turn right up Democracy Blvd and before you crest the hill you'll see a building on the left (indoor tennis courts). If you've hit the condos you've gone too far. Ride behind the tennis courts and you'll pick up the CJ trails again.

[jtauber]

Good replies here. Living in Bethesda, you will enjoy the convenience of CJ. There's also a new trail north of Tuckerman. You can access that trailhead about 50 yards before the Cabin John mall. Or coming from CJ, take the camp ground road and look for the Blue trail on the left.

[dirtgirl]

Thanks for the info everybody. I am excited to discover there IS a trail in southern MoCo. I was starting to think I'd just have to quit my job so I could leave early enough to make all the other trails. Skillet, I would like to take you up on the offer to ride there sometime with you or a member of your family.

[jtauber]

Noticed you work in Bethesda but actually reside in Rockville. You're likely familiar with Schaeffer Farm, Hoyles Mill, Black Hills. Dunno if you've ridden Seneca Greenway, but its worthwhile too. From 355 you can go all the way to Damascus.

[Huevos]

Anyone think cabin john will dry out by this afternoon?

[skillet999]

She's calling me to give me the trail report. Should have a post out by noon.

[skillet999]

Wifey report was that the trail is good to go. She only checked out areas by CJ regional - other spots take a bit longer to dry out but should be good.

[Huevos]

rock on. maybe ill see some of yall out there

[Huevos]

Thanks for showing me around the trail yesterday skillet. Trails were in pretty good condition.

[jtauber]

Rode the southern part (Falls=>Bradley=>River) as tune-up for a pending humiliation at Patapsco tomorrow.

The trails were in fine shape. There's one quagmire about 100 yards south of Bradley with a walk-around, not a ride-around.

Btw, continuing below River Rd, after about 150 yards the trail ends in a hurry. I know this has been indicated before, but just thought it wouldn't hurt to repost.

This trail is worth riding.

[Crider]

Is anyone interested in starting an early morning, 7:30am-8:30am(ish), Cabin John trail ride group. We could start meeting Wednesday mornings at 7:30 at one of the parking areas and ride before work. Please reply to the thread if interested.

[jtauber]

Rode the whole CJ enchilada from Goya Dr to River Rd. Many leaves. The trails are in good condition. A few wet spots between Bradley and River.

A handfull of bikers, about a dozen hikers. Rode with 3 colleagues who live in NoVa and wanted to try CJ. Three thumbs up.