[SkateDC] Indian Head trail skate

Tue Apr 6 16:05:16 PDT 2010

Well, it was good enough that I'd like to go back.  

I believe that in general it's much clearer of debris than the Western Maryland Rail Trail.  This is largely due to the fact that the trees are set back a ways from the trail so they don't really have the opportunity to drop their stuff on the trail to the extent the trees in the WMRT do.  But, this also means that it's probably a sweltering skate at high noon when the temperatures rise in the summer due to the lack of shade.

Like the WMRT there are few at-grade street crossings.  Those are the only spots on the trail where there is the tiniest bit of debris, primarily little stones kicked up by crossing vehicle traffic.  The trail is as nice a paved surface as I've ever had the pleasure to skate on.  And given how far the trees are away from the trail and the fact that the trail in many places is raised above the ground, we needn't worry about tree roots pushing up the asphalt.

It does go through woods and fields and in that respect it is similar to the western reaches of the Washington & Old Dominion trail.  But it features a good deal more water, more like the WMRT.  This includes an active beaver pond and glimpses of the Mattawoman creek.  You could see turtles on logs in the water, but no land creature was brave enough to actually cross the trail.  Saw an osprey rescue a wounded fish and carry him off to the local animal hospital.  Although Disney would certainly approve of the well-behaved animals along this trail, I didn't see any Bambis or Thumpers.  Deer in particular may avoid areas of this trail due to the presence of tree stands and an active shooting range.  Presumably the shooting range is pointed away from the trail itself, since while we heard shots, none of us experienced the whistling of bullets past our ears.  However, during hunting season I'd be tempted to wear blaze orange and avoid helmets with
 anything attached that could be mistaken for antlers, just in case.

Of course, all that water will be an excellent breeding ground for a massive invasion of mosquitoes during the hot and humid months.  And while you are often surrounded by water, there's not a drop to drink on the trail.

The grade from White Plains to Indian Head is downhill at about 17 feet per mile.  The effects of the wind probably outweigh the effects of the slight grade.  There aren't any noticeable hills with the exception of an uphill slope at the end of the trail in Indian Head, right before Mattingly Ave.  By the way, it's probably not worth leaving the trail and extending the skate when you get to Mattingly Ave. to the nearby park on Mattawoman Creek as the road leading there, while only about half a mile long, is quite hilly and includes speed bumps.

Ample parking is available directly at the White Plains end of the trail, and although the parking lot is surfaced in crushed stone it is skateable.  There is a Porto-Potty at the parking lot, but again, no water is available.  There are Porto-Potties at other points along the trail as well.  Parking is available at the Indian Head terminus but is not directly near the trail; instead you must skate to it on surface streets.  Some of the parking locations in the middle of the trail are to be avoided, particularly the one at Bennsville Road as it would necessitate skating on a high-speed road with little or no shoulders up a considerable hill.

Also, there doesn't appear to be any stores convenient to the trail so in addition to bringing your own water you might want to bring your own energy bars.

Another compelling feature is that the trail is not much used at the moment.  So little used in fact, that it encourages bad habits like skating two-abreast.  You won't be passing many or being passed by many here.  The trail is relatively undiscovered as of yet.

Finally, I can recommend Gilligan's Pier (http://www.gilliganspier.com/), a crab house restaurant about 20 minutes south of White Plains, located on the Potomac River at Popes Creek.  The blackened crab cakes aren't half bad, the Fordham beer quite potable, and the location is very pleasant.

Happy skating,
George

--- On Tue, 4/6/10, rollerquest <rollerquest at rollerquest.com> wrote:

From: rollerquest <rollerquest at rollerquest.com>
Subject: [SkateDC] Indian Head trail skate
To: skatedc at ligemail.lig.net
Date: Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 1:03 PM

George, How was your skate on this trail. What did you think of it. Is it
similar to the rail trail ? Was it clean. Does it go through woods ? Any
hills, etc.....,

Larry Williamson
Rollerquest Inline Skating
www.rollerquest.com
443 813 4201

_______________________________________________
SkateDC mailing list
SkateDC at ligemail.lig.net
http://ligemail.lig.net/mailman/listinfo/skatedc