Mount Vernon Bike Trail: Independent Tour with Optional Potomac River Cruise
Washington D.C., United States of America
On this independent bike tour from Old Town Alexandria, enjoy views of the Potomac River as you cycle along the scenic Mount Vernon Trail to historic Mount Vernon Estate, George Washington’s famous 18th-century home. Explore the stately mansion, gorgeous gardens and fascinating educational exhibits at your leisure, and hop back on your bike for your return trip or upgrade to relax on a narrated Potomac River cruise back to Alexandria. This is a fun, active and scenic way to experience Mount Vernon.
When you pick up your bike at the bike shop in Old Town Alexandria between 10:30am and 11am, you'll be provided with a map and easy directions on how to get to Mount Vernon. Bikes come in all sizes so you can find the right fit for the tour, once you've chosen, you're ready to ride! Take in views of the Potomac River on your easy 9-mile (14.5-km) ride along the historic Mount Vernon Trail.
When you arrive at beautiful Mount Vernon Estate, George Washington’s famous home, lock up your bike outside the grounds and spend time at your leisure exploring this 18th-century National Historic Landmark, which once spanned 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) and now features 500 preserved acres (202 hectares).
Walk through the restored mansion and admire the stately architecture and lavish décor, and spend time wandering through the lovely gardens. Visit the farm, browse fascinating historical exhibits at the Donald W Reynolds Museum and Education Center, and stop by Washington’s tomb, a memorial dedicated to the slaves who lived and worked on the estate.
Have lunch at the food court (own expense) before hopping on your bike and returning 9 miles (14.5 km) along the scenic Mt Vernon Trail, arriving at the bike shop in Old Town Alexandria by 5:45pm.
Upgrade: Potomac River Cruise After exploring Mount Vernon Estate, head to the Mt Vernon dock at 4pm to board Miss Christin. Sit back and relax as you take a narrated boat cruise along the Potomac River back to Old Town Alexandria. You’ll arrive around 5:30pm. This option is ideal for those who'd prefer an easy 9-mile (14.5-km) one-way bike ride instead of the moderate 18-mile (29-km) round-trip ride.
This was a great trip, the guys in the store were all ready for us, got us set up and on our way very quickly. The day was perfect weather and it is such a lovely ride plus the added bonus of actually seeing Mt Vernon. The cycling was very easy as the majority is relatively flat with only a few small sections with a hill. We took the boat trip back for some different views of the area._br/_ All in all a fantastic day and I would thoroughly recommend it.
Review by: Victoria D, August 2017
5 stars for the Trail. 0 stars for the bikes. Trail is great, beautiful. Mount Vernon was impressive and very interesting. _br/_ The bikes were TERRIBLE! Maintenance would be a good idea guys!_br/_ Gears shift if you hit a bump, and don't shift when you try shift them. NO water bottle holders on the women's bikes, had to put my water in the worn out bag thing on the handle bars. Which it bounced out of. Ended up having to hold my water bottle in my hand while riding. Definitely would do the trail again.ON MY OWN BIKE!
Review by: Ken A, August 2017
We loved this tour even in the rain.The bike ride is self guides but easy to follow. 9 miles. There are some hills that can be challenging if you are not a regular rider. Mt. Vernon was super cool and the people that worked there so knowledgeable. We took the ferry back and again enjoyed.
Review by: Ellen J, June 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: greg h, September 2016
There are some hills the last mile. Loved the boat trip back.
Review by: Rachel F, September 2016
Brought our 12, 11, 9, and 5 year old on this bike tour. Some of the hills were a bit hard to do when going uphill dragging a 60 lb kid on a bike attached to mine but going down was better then any roller coaster. Plenty of water fountain and benches along the trail made it very manageable and fun. You should be in relatively good shape though to do this. Old Town Alexandria is beautiful to just walk around in. Good deal for your money considering entrance to George Washingtons plantation is 20 a head. Overall we had an incredible experience.
Review by: Martin B, August 2016
Very well organised - well done
Review by: Amkinzer, July 2016
Encountered friendly fellow bicyclists on a hilly, but doable trail. Water stops along the way. Leafy trail. The history at Mount Vernon was palpable. Bike pick up and drop from was easy. The Potomac River Cruise was a perfect end to a hot, yet enjoyable day.
Review by: mark b, July 2016
Nice bike ride, but beware of doing the 10 miles in summer. Very humid. Would recommend though.
Review by: Michael B, July 2016
The trail was excellent! It was so nice to have a well-maintained trail that is off the road and family-friendly. Mount Vernon was very interesting and informative. It was unfortunate that the mansion was under renovation on the outside so we didn't get to take good pictures, but they need to do the work sometime. We used the second-day option to ride up to Arlington National Cemetery...what a great trip both days.
Review by: Connie L, July 2016
Loved this trip. A beautiful day for a bike ride to Mt Vernon. The self guided tour of grounds was fun and Potomac cruise on way back informative and very relaxing.
Review by: Leon C, July 2016
The overall experience was great. The bikes were ok. The bicycle shop should have water bottles to sell or provide for a 9mile bike ride. The ride was beautiful and Mt. Vernon was stunning. The boat ride was fine. My family will remember this tour for years to come.
Review by: Kimberly P, July 2016
This tour was great. The scenery on the bike ride was beautiful. The ride is all trail and pretty easy except the last quarter mile into Mt Vernon is one big hill. I ended up walking the bike to the top. Mt Vernon was good to see. I recommend the boat ride back to Alexandria and dinner in town.
Review by: Robert S, July 2016
My son and I biked the trail to Mt Vernon and took the cruise back. The bikes were well maintained and the ride along the Potomac was beautiful. The path does parallel a main high trafficked road, so there is some noise along the way, but the scenery was excellent. It is a little hilly in parts. Take your time and if you are in a bit of shape going the 9 miles on this path will be a modest challenge. We self explored Mt Vernon which is definitely worth the trip. The return cruise was a slow and steady ride, about 90 minutes. The boat was in good shape and was very simple with bench seating or folding chairs. That is all you really need. We were entertained by a very knowledgable crew person who shared good details about various sites along the river. I thought this tour was a very good value considering it includes the bike rental, ticket to Mt Vernon and the return cruise.
Review by: john g, April 2016
FANTASTIC_br/_ the whole thing was so great I can not stop talking about it. Clear directions, Val, our bike renter was incredible and so helpful. The ride is beautiful and ending with a cruise up the Potomac was the best. The guides on the boat clearly love what they do and shared their knowledge of the wildlife and history of the river. Would do it again in a heartbeat and am telling everyone I know to give it a go.
Review by: Laureen S, September 2015
The trail from Alexandria to Mount Vernon is really lovely. Most of it is shaded and fairly level. There are beautiful water views and the surrounding neighborhoods are all excellent. We parked the bikes when we arrived and ate in the dining room, which was surprisingly good. The gift shops and all the facilities at Mt. Vernon are top notch. After the tour we meandered down to the river and took the boat back to Alexandria where we had dinner. It was a perfect day.
Review by: Lisa Kate F, July 2015
Due to weather issues we had to move the ride to July 5th and the guys from Bike and Roll were terrific about helping us with that and giving us directions to get to the starting point in Old Town Alexandria. Beautiful bike trails and the Mount Vernon tour was really interesting.
Review by: BEVERLY D, July 2015
The ride was beautiful but all bike rental places are not alike. I rode the first 4 miles struggling with the rear brake system. Took us longer than expected, missed the tour and barely had enough time to catch the boat back. Lesson learned...be sure to check your bike before you leave the shop!!
Review by: Tami b, July 2015
It was a nice day but bike ride was more vigorous then we thought so by the time we got to Mount Vernon we were a little tired. We also thought it was a path along the river but you could only see the river in a few spots as it was mostly through wooded area. Mount Vernon was awesome and then the boat ride home was mostly like a water taxi.
Review by: Garry D, June 2015
Excellent tour. Biked one way. Boated back. Peanut-chestnut soup and bread pudding at Mt Vernon restaurant were great complements to the tour. Three hours went quick at the estate.
Review by: Mark A, June 2015
We really enjoyed the Tour. The bike trail was great and the tour of Mt. Vernon was very enjoyable._br/_
The bike company was very helpful and attentive to our needs._br/_
Thanks for a great time!
Review by: Cynthia G, August 2014
Great bike trail along the Potomac - good bikes- we were able to go to the front of the tour line at Mt.Vernon with our passes. Liked everything about the tour. Alexandria is charming. Maybe could have had better directions for finding the bike sho originally- but smartphone got us there.
Review by: Brenda B, May 2014
Perhaps the funnest part of our trip! We had not biked in YEARS - it was a moderate trail but challenging at times. However, lots of laughs and such beautiful scenery along the Potomac. We truly enjoyed ourselves. I highly recommend! Take the cruise back to relax and enjoy the sights!! A+++
Review by: Nicki52, January 2014
Having biked most of the 200 or so kilometers of the Hawkes Bay (NZ) bike trails, which are wonderful, I have to say, this is my new favourite ride. We arrived early in Old Alexandria town so we were able to wander the beautiful cobbled streets and soak up the ambience of this lovely town before arriving at the Bike and Roll depot near the waterfront at 10 am. We were soon dispatched with our bikes and clear instructions and followed the track through the city and out into the beautiful Virginian countryside along the Potomac river. There were a few lumps (small hills) but our bikes dealt with them admirably. We travelled there in the middle of October so the fall colours were just showing through. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Mt Vernon but felt a little rushed as the ferry was not available and we had to bike back to be in time for the 5 o'clock closing (apparently it usually closes a bit later). The trip back was a little easier and just as spectacular.We travelled with our 23 year old son who enjoyed it just as much as we did and I would unreservedly recommend this trip to anyone wanting to get a little exercise while sightseeing. I should mention there is a free trolley bus that travels up and down King Street from the train station, which we thankfully discovered on the way back.
Review by: Susan N, December 2013
Bike shop staff were extremely helpful in sizing the bikes for everyone in our group, making sure we all felt comfortable (including those who hadn't been on bicycles for decades), and provided very clear directions for our self-guided tour. The ride was challenging without being overwhelming, and Mt. Vernon was magnificent. I only wish we had had more time to explore - but that's only because we spent too much time enjoying lunch!
Review by: Joy B, July 2013
Wow! I have never rented a bike and had it so expertly fit to me. Even the helmet was sized for me! The trail was well marked and absolutely beautiful! It was a hot day, and I just wish we had started out a little earlier. We were very glad that we took the Potomac River Cruise option for coming back because of the heat. The cruise was relaxing however there was not much information given by the moderator on the cruise.
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