Exploring the Outskirts of Washington D.C.: Upper Marlboro & Croom, Maryland

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and also known as D.C. or Washington, is the capital city of the United States of America. It is located on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia, with Congress holding its first session there in 1800. The city was named for George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father, and the federal district is named after Columbia, a female personification of the nation. As the seat of the U.S. federal government and several international organizations, the city is an important world political capital. It is one of the most visited cities in the U.S., with over 20 million visitors in 2016. – Wikipedia.org

West of Washington D.C. and into counties such as Loudoun, Fauquier, etc, are well known for their amazing network of historic gravel roads. Southeast of D.C., whilst not as well known as these areas for overall cycling enjoyment, is the Upper Marlboro and Croom areas of Maryland. Whilst there is nary any mixed-surface roads to be found unless you’re willing to really explore (and ride private roads, not recommended), there are many natural and conservation areas that can be connected together by the area’s network of sometimes quiet roads (Sunday morning is optimal).

Ride Experience Video

In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew explores some of the lesser-known areas through Upper Marlboro and Croom, Maryland, and does traverse some private roads. Barring this infraction, only the roads were traversed, there was no deviating beyond the boundary of said private roads. For this reason, there is no map or route link, but some of the areas of interest in the video are referenced, and there are many ways to link those together yourself.