Family Biking

Several grassroots groups organize safe and fun bike rides for kids, kids at heart, and their families across the region. Their family-friendly bike rides usually go through a community, and generally meet at a park and end not too far away at another fun spot ( i.e. ice cream shop, pool, or special event).

 Most groups ride about once a month. Check their websites and social media pages to find a ride near you:

 

The annual DC Family Bike Fest is DC Family Biking’s annual celebration of kids and families on wheels! This event brings together kid bikers, family bikers and bike-curious as well as local bike shops, groups, and orgs to build community and have fun together. Featuring a Kids Bike Parade, glide-to-ride clinic, DC Library Storytime, free bike repair, gear swap, advocacy sessions, raffle, and more – plus free sno cones – this is typically one of the biggest Family Biking events of the year! 

Family Biking Resources

For local expertise and community, join the DC Family Biking Facebook group.

Check out this Family Biking Guide for the best all-encompassing resource on biking with your children, produced by the San Francisco Bike Coalition. You can find information on everything from biking while pregnant to biking with pre-teens! 

Two Wheeling Tots provides tons of reviews of all sorts of family-biking products, including kids’ bikes, bike trailers, child bike seats, and more.

Cargo Bike Life is another one our Family Biking community experts recommend— it is written by a former Tern USA (cargo bike manufacturer) employee and is billed as “Your hub for cargo biking, family biking, and bikes for business.”

And, finally, some picture books about bicycling (this list is crowdsourced— send your favorites that aren’t on the list!)

  • B is for Bicycles by Scott and Jannine Fitzgerald
  • Bicycle Queen by Cari Best and Christine Davenier
  • Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World by Allan Drummond

 

School Biking Resources

The Safe Routes to School initiative works to make walking and biking to school safe and viable for children. The Safe Routes Partnership supports national policy change and resources, while local jurisdictions have their own programs: Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Washington D.C., Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria. These programs can often help organize events like bike rodeos or provide educational materials specific to your area.

Bike to School Day is a national celebration that encourages students to bike to school. Many schools throughout the Washington D.C. region participate in it. The Walk, Bike, and Roll to School website provides tips for organizing an event, materials to use for the event, and ideas to follow up afterwards.

Page last updated by Anna McCormally on July 2, 2024.