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Adventures in Homeschooling Series: Get on Your Bikes!

By Bridget Slack and Rachel Varn, PedalPower Kids September 24, 2020

Thanks to Rachel at Pedal Power Kids, we are sharing this awesome bike resource.  If you haven't already...check out some of the many camps, lessons, and clubs Pedal Power Kids offers.  

We have been involved in lessons, summer learn to ride and adventure clubs, homeschool bike club, and have done Pedal Power birthdays.  I can't say enough good things about the work Rachel is doing. With all her riding, it isn't surprising that she has compiled a pretty comprehensive list of places for kids to ride their bikes around the area.


The following page comes directly from the Pedal Power Kids Website:

Here are our favorite local (and not-so-local) places to ride with kids- a mix of rail trails, dirt, and paved, low-traffic options. 

For families just starting to ride with kids- manage your expectations and think “slow, short and snacks”. Don’t turn back at the first complaint (pretending you can’t hear due to the wind works like a charm! HAHA) Many of our campers and bike club kids (and our own kids) complain, cry or whine in the course of a ride, but then BEAM with pride at their accomplishment upon completion and beg for more! We’ve all been there on a hill or a hot day, wanting to quit and asking why the heck we’re doing this- kids are sometimes just a bit more vocal about it. It will pass, especially with a cold drink and a “ride snack” (ask our Adventure Campers, jelly beans are the magic elixir!)

B&A Trail - Literally, our backyard- and an awesome, beginner-friendly and relatively flat rail trail spanning from BWI Airport to Annapolis. Our favorite “graduation” activity for PedalPower Learn to Ride students is a B&A trail ride to Fro Yo House. Lots to do all along the trail, and connection to Kinder Farm Park. Sometimes bike traffic from the spandex crowd can be high-speed and aggressive- practice passing and moving right with your kids. 

WB&A Trail - Another awesome rail trail that continues to grow! Great option for our Piney Orchard/Crofton/West County friends. 

Kinder Farm Park - Farm animals, paved and off-road trails, two great playgrounds, lots of awesome nature programs and events for families. Need we say more?

Quiet Waters Park - Another great Anne Arundel County option, accessible by bike for families in Hillsmere/Annapolis Neck- nice paved trail and a challenging and technical MTB trail option. 

Downs Park - Beautiful waterfront location in Pasadena, lots of nice paved surface for new riders.

Greenbury Point - Past the Naval Brigade, this hidden gem is a favorite for practicing with new riders on quiet and flat paved roads. The awesome off-road perimeter trail sports incredible Bridge and Academy views. 

BWI Trail - 10 mile perimeter trail around the airport that offers a lot for kids: playground where you can watch the planes land (never gets old!), a random horse farm somewhere in the middle, and some pretty scenic vistas despite circling one of the busiest airports in the area. 

NCR Trail - 40 mile crushed gravel rail trail from Hunt Valley, MD to York, PA. Beautiful setting, places to tube on the river, some snack spots along the way- a really great spot for a longer family weekend ride.

GAP Trail - The Greater Allegheny Passage Rail Trail goes from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD and offers scenic beauty and mountain vistas with family-friendly easy riding. We recommend the downhill route from Deal to Cumberland, which includes passage through the creepy-cool Big Savage tunnel. 

Virginia Creeper Trail - A gem in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia!

Bike DC - Washington, DC is an amazing bike-friendly city as are neighboring Arlington and Crystal City. The Mount Vernon Trail, Anacostia Trail, W&OD and many protected bike lanes in the city offer lots of fun options for families. Coming from the Annapolis area, you can park in Bladensburg and take the Anacostia Trail into the Navy Yard area for a fun outing. 

Bacon Ridge - An amazing and expanding effort by local mountain bikers, these trails in Crownsville offer up some beginner-friendly MTB options and camaraderie- there’s almost always other local riders there and a Thursday Night S’MORES Kids’ Ride.

Patapsco State Park - Swinging bridges, endless trails for all abilities, waterfalls- there’s something for every active family to explore at PTap.

Rockburn Skills Park - Within PTap, the Skills Park maintained by MORE offers a pump track and all sorts of cool elements for the very brave and the not-so-brave to improve their MTB skills. The pump track is a super fun outing for balance bikers and pedalers alike.

Rosaryville State Park - Another vast state park with a variety of trails for all abilities.

Chesapeake BMX Track - This local track offers practice and racing for the little ones on balance bikes. These kids are amazing!


You don't have to go far to ride your bike... you can always take a stroll around your neighborhood.  Enjoy outside!