Wheaton Regional Park - Brookside Gardens - Sligo Creek Trail

**Check back to see if the date or start time has changed. This ride will be postponed (possibly replaced with another ride) if the chance of rain is above 49%, or wind speed or wind gusts are above 15 mph (per Accuweather) **

TRAIN OR BUS STOPS
Train: Glenmont Metro Station
Bus: M22 at Georgia Avenue and Weisman Road

PARKING ADDRESS
Wheaton Regional Park
2002 Shorefield Road, 20902 · Wheaton, MD

PARKING AND MEETUP SPOT
Park at the Wheaton Regional Park Parking Lot at 2002 Shorefield Road.

Meet us at the Wheaton Carousel at the south end of the parking lot. After check-in, we’ll do an icebreaker question.

BIKE ROUTE SUMMARY

From the carousel parking lot, we’ll ride through Wheaton Regional Park to the back gate of Brookside Gardens and lock up our bikes (please bring a lock). Then we’ll spend about a half hour walking around Brookside Gardens. Then we’ll get back on our bikes and ride a short dirt trail through the forest, followed by a short ride on an asphalt portion of park trail. Then we’ll leave Wheaton Regional Park and start on the Sligo Creek Trail on a combination of paved bike paths and portions of Sligo Creek Parkway that are closed to motor traffic. The ride continues to the paved Northwest Branch and Anacostia River Trails, ending at the Washington Rowing School in Bladensburg.

SKILL LEVEL: All

DISTANCE OPTIONS
Participants can choose to return at any point. These are just suggestions:
OPTION A: Sligo-Dennis Avenue Local Park (four-mile round trip)

OPTION B: Sligo Creek and Maple Avenue (16-mile round trip)

OPTION C: Washington Rowing School (29-mile round trip)

BATHROOMS
There are four bathrooms on the route:

• Wheaton Regional Park starting point.
• Sligo-Dennis Avenue Local Park (four miles from beginning)
• 38th Avenue Neighborhood Park (12.5 miles from beginning)
• Washington Rowing School (14.5 miles from the beginning and final turning-around point)

BIKE RENTALS
No bike rentals

BIKE REPAIR
No bike repair shops, but there is a self-serve repair kit at the Washington Rowing School, 14.5 miles from the beginning.

OPTION TO SOCIALIZE AFTERWARDS
Afterwords, everyone is invited for pizza from local joint Tera Mare at the host’s house, a block from the ride start/end point.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Bring: Water bottles, snacks, biking gloves, bike bell, bike lock, helmet visor, sunglasses, bike tube, pump, patch, first aid kit, mobile phone with nav app installed (e.g. Google maps, we use RidewithGPS). If you get leg cramps during or after a ride, take electrolytes before and during your ride (or add salt and magnesium to your water). A change of clothes for your ride home or a car seat cover to absorb sweat.

Clothing: Wear biking gloves and durable clothing so that if you do fall, your skin is protected. Avoid wearing all black, all grey, all dark brown, or all dark blue, which blends in with pavement, especially while riding through a shady segment. Consider wearing something lighter to help others notice you.

REQUIREMENTS
Participants must wear tightly secured helmets when on their bike.

NOTE: Bikes are not allowed in Brookside Gardens. We will be locking our bikes to the bike racks at the entrance, so please be sure to bring a bike lock.

Be proactive to avoid a fall/crash and minimize injury:

· Keep a distance between yourself and other bikers. If the biker ahead of you suddenly stops, you should be able to avoid hitting them.

· Don’t make stops on the trail. Pull over to the side and use hand gestures to let people know you’re slowing down to make a stop.

· Yelling out “Passing on your left” and/or ringing a bike bell as you approach people ahead of you, so they don’t inadvertently move in your line of travel.

· Slowing down to wait, rather than speeding up when trying to pass people at the same time walkers/bikers are approaching you from the opposite direction.

· Avoid potholes and debris and slow down when approaching bumps

· When approaching road crossings and iffy situations, triple-check before crossing and don’t let yourself be distracted by talking, etc.

· Ensure your helmet is tightly secured so that it won’t move if you hit the ground.

MEETUP POLICIES
Participants should understand that biking is an inherently dangerous activity, and an accident could happen at any time. Participation is at your own risk.
An RSVP of “Yes” to an event is your digital signature acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree with Meetup’s and MD Rail Trail Biking’s policies, esp. section 6 “Release” and section 8.2 Limited LIability Terms of Service – Meetup