Back when I first published the first and second editions of Mountain Biking the Washington DC/Baltimore Area in the early 90s there were very limited opportunities for regional mountain bikers to ride natural surface trails. Because of that, we chose to include several rides in the book that highlighted the gravel roads of Loudoun County. While “Gravel Grinding” hadn’t yet become what it is today, cycling those “off the beaten path” gravel roads was a great alternative for mountain bike enthusiasts to get a dose of “dirt”.
Today, riding gravel has skyrocketed and the network of Gravel Roads in Loudoun County are perfect for this cycling discipline. Little has changed in the area since I first documented those rides. In fact. little has changed, as far as the network of roads are concerned, since the area was first settled and agriculturally developed in the 1700s.
There are nearly 300 miles of unpaved gravel roads in Loudoun County, VA.
LOUDOUN COUNTY GRAVEL ROADS
Location: Loudoun County, VA
Length: Varies
Ride Time: Varies, depending on selected routes
Ride Type: Gravel
Difficulty: Level 1 - Level 5 Riding: The Network of gravel roads in Loudoun County is extensive and you can choose from a multitude of different routes and distances. In Mountain Biking the Washington DC/Baltimore Area I detail two routes, The Middleburg Vineyard Tour (23 miles) and the Waterford Dirt Ride (27.5 miles). I rated these at Level 3 because of the distance and elevation gained.
Book: Beyond the two routes mentioned above I also detailed three additional gravel routes in the region, including the Sugarloaf Scenic Circuit, The Potomac River Ride and Prince William Forest Park.
I recently participated in the Loudoun 1775 Ride, a 61 mile spin along the historic gravel roads of Loudoun County
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