July 2022: Tour de Spraygrounds! Sat 7/23 Meet 11am Mosaic Park

 It's HOT and what better way to beat the heat than enjoying Arlington's great SPRAYGROUNDS.

We'll meet at Mosaic Park -- the sprayground is on the Quincy Street side of the park -- then ride through some nice neighborhood streets and a cemetery to get to Penrose Square, where there's another sprayground!  Come early to enjoy the spray -- we'll roll out around 11:15am. 

Don't forget the sunscreen and towel!

The route is fairly gentle, crossing major streets with lights or
stop signs (except Pershing, but the sightlines are good). This is an A to B ride, and the best route back is the way we get there.

UPDATE: After the ride, we're heading to William Jefferies Tavern on the Pike to enjoy lunch and watch the the Tour de France. Totally optional, but we'd love friends to join us!

When: Saturday, July 23, 2022

Meet: 11:00am - Mosaic Park - N Quincy St & 5th Road N (we'll meet near that corner)

Car parking: Neighborhood streets (NOT in the big lot at Gold's Gym/&pizza)

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40248979

End: Penrose Square on Columbia Pike

May 2022: Secret Trail!

Happy Bike Month! 

This month, we'll use one of our FAVORITE trails in
Arlington: the Secret Trail (it probably has another name, but people don't seem to know it).  This trail connects Lyon Park park to the 27 Trail under Route 50. For this route, we'll continue on the new extension of the the 27 Trail into Penrose, then head back past TJ Middle School to Ashton Heights and Lyon Park, ending where we started. Easy peasy.

For those of you doing the APS Safe Routes to Schools Bike/Walk to School Day BINGO, we'll help you knock out a few spaces!  (Note the link above has a pdf of the card, with a few links to help you with the tasks)

The ride has some hills, but the steep one is very short and the long one is very gradual. We'll be on trails and neighborhood streets, crossing 50 at a light.

When: Sunday, May 15, 2022

Meet: 10:00am - Lyon Park - North Garfield Street and 4th Street North (roll out 10:15am) * meet by the picnic benches near 4th.

Parking: Neighborhood streets 

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38969188

End: Lyon Park, right where we start from. 

April 2022: Kidically Earth Day on Langston

We get one Earth - let's celebrate her and remind ourselves why *sustainable* transportation is so important!  On Sunday, April 24, we'll join the Langston Blvd Alliance's Earth Day on Langston. We encourage everyone to come by 1pm, when the Earth Day celebration will have some great speakers. We'll roll out after the speakers, around 1:15pm. 

The route is easy until the end -- we'll roll around Waverly Hills, through Woodstock Park, and around Ballston-Virginia Square and Cherrydale. The first 3 miles are mostly downhill on neighborhood streets, which a few blocks on busier streets -- listening ears are essential. After 3 miles, we'll stop at Dorothy Hamm MS, where people can choose to lock their bikes and take a shuttle up to the celebration, or continue on with us. The last 1/2 mile after the MS will be very much uphill, and will include a stretch on Lorcom Lane, which is a busier street.

The Earth Day on Langston celebration will be a great time, which lots of fun things to do - music, story time with the Public Library Truck, ice cream from La Moo, a hands one climate mural project & crafts with Arlington Parks * Rec! Families will want to plan to come early and/or stay after to enjoy the fun!

When: Sunday, April 24, 2022

Meet: Lee Heights Shops - Cherry Hill Road & N Woodstock Street - 1:00pm - , ready to roll at by 1:15pm

Parking: Dorothy Hamm MS - leave time to get up to the shops (There's a shuttle, but if you may want to drop bikes off at the top of the hill first).

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39074006

End: Either Dorothy Hamm MS or Lee Heights Shops (depending on whether you want to bike up the hill or ride the shuttle *don't forget locks*)

Here's the elevation - the blue arrow is the middle school, where you may choose to end the ride.

Mar 2022: Blossoms & Bikes & Ballston

Happy Spring! It's time to tune up those bikes and get out riding. We will meet in the awesome Mosaic Park in Ballston, ride around Buckingham & Arlington Forest and return to Ballston to enjoy some lovely blossoms.  We'll end in the heart of Ballston, where families can grab shakes at Shake Shack
or other goodies and Ballston Quarter or any of the other many restaurants around.

The ride has some small hills and while most of the crossings are at lights, there are two that are just stop signs - kids need to use those listening ears. 

Fun Update! Our friends at Shake Shack are offering 10% off riders' orders after the ride. Thanks, Shake Shack!

When: Sunday, March 27, 2022

Meet: 2:15pm - Mosiac Park - North Quincy Street and 5th Street North (roll out 2:30pm) * meet on the Quincy St side, near 5th St, ready to roll at by 2:30pm

Parking: Neighborhood streets (don't park at the Gold's gym lot)

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38839233

End: Ballston, Near Shake Shack 

The ride back is easy via 9th St N & the Protected Bike Lanes on Quincy

Nov 2021: Tour de National Landing 11/14 12:30pm

National Landing is the vibrant, exciting part of Arlington located at the bend in the Potomac River.  Join us on a ride to enjoy Arlington's newest trail segment, around the newly opened Long Bridge Aquatic Center, through the Pentagon Reservation and through Pentagon City on Eads Street, ending in Crystal City. Kids will particularly enjoy the trail, from which they can see trains, planes & boats!

After the ride, the National Landing BID is hosting a round of warm drinks at The Freshman. Families may want to come early and enjoy brunch/lunch at the Freshman or another of Crystal City's great restaurants.  

We'll meet up at the southern entrance to Long Bridge Park (no bathrooms at the park, so plan accordingly). We will roll out around 12:45pm along the Esplanade.  The route will include a trail and streets around the Pentagon and National Landing, ending on a service road. All crossings of major streets are at lights. The route is mostly flat, with one hill near the Pentagon, and clocks in around 3 miles.  

We'll end at The Freshman (about 1:15pm), where folks are invited to enjoy a warm drink courtesy of National Landing BID (thanks, BID! Also,, we've confirmed they have hot chocolate).  Bring a lock if you're planning to leave your bike as you eat or shop.

Everyone is welcome on our rides (as long as kids come with an adult), which are appropriate for all types of bikes (not scooters or training wheels). We often have kids on their adults' bikes or younger kids who are newer to riding on their own. Older kids may find the ride to be slow & not very exciting, but are welcome to join the party as long as they're willing to enjoy the pace.

Yes, it will be chilly on Sunday.  For tips on riding in the cold, see this great blog post by BikeArlington.  

Masks: We recognize that data shows outdoor transmission is very rare, bikes naturally keep people appropriately distanced, and masks can be hard for some to deal with while they're biking. We also recognize kids aren't yet vaccinated. Therefore, we ask that everyone bring a mask and wear it when you're off the bike and in close contact to others.

When: Sunday, November 14
Meet: 12:30pm - southern entrance to Long Bridge Park (12th St S & Crystal Drive) - roll out 12:45pm
Parking: Neighborhood streets, Long Bridge Park or Crystal City parking garages
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37865871

RSVP here to help us know how many folks are coming & so there's enough hot chocolate ready.

October 2021: Halloween Ride Returns! 10/24 4pm Zitkala'Sa Park Sponsored by Trek Clarendon

It's baaaaack! 

The Kidical Mass Arlington Halloween ride returns: time to put on your costume, ride bikes and prepare to eat copious amounts of candy!  This year we're partnering up with the Trek Bikes to celebrate! 

We'll meet at Zitkala-Sa Park, where families can come early to enjoy the brand new, super fun playground playground. Then we will bike off through the spooky parts of Ashton Heights, Lyon Park, and Lyon Village, enjoying some of Arlington's finest Halloween decorations! Finally, we'll roll to Trek's Clarendon store on Wilson Boulevard, where we've been invited over for a pizza party! This family-friendly bike shop has invited us in to enjoy some pizza and drinks, and of course to visit their great shop! Thanks Trek, we can't wait! 

If you could respond to the Facebook event so we know numbers, that'd be great! 

When: Sunday, October 24, 2021

Meet: 4:00pm - Zitkala-Sa Park - North Highland Street and 7th Street North (roll out 4:15pm)

Parking: Neighborhood streets

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37817132

10/2/21: Ride for Black Lives Family Ride Meet 3:30pm TJ Community Center

Black Lives Matter.

We still have so much work to do, even in Arlington, to address racial and social justice.  In support of those efforts, Kidical Mass Arlington will join Arlington for Justice's Ride for Black Lives on Saturday, October 2, 2021, for a special family ride.  

The family ride will meet at TJ Community Center (3501 2nd St S, Arlington, VA 22204) along 2nd Street South at 3:30pm, and will join the main ride when they come through.  We will ride to Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School (3500 23rd St S, Arlington, VA 22206).  The route is 2 miles and mostly downhill.  We will have a police escort with the main ride.

Everyone is welcome on our rides (as long as kids come with an adult), but we ask that you register with the Ride for Justice (it's pay what you can, with a free option). Given the group and the police escort, riders will need to be able to ride 5-6mph (it's mostly downhill), so training wheels aren't a good choice for this ride.

Masks: We ask that everyone bring a mask and wear it when, especially when you're off the bike and in close contact to others.

When: Saturday, October 2, 2021
Meet: 3:30pm - TJ Community Center (2nd St S and ) - roll out approximately 3:45pm
Parking: TJ Community Center & Neighborhood streets

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37641731

For those who would like to ride back to the start, we recommend the following route.  Note that it involves a big hill and crossing of Walter Reed Drive without a traffic light, but it is the most kidical-friendly route.