To reach world-class bike trails, take your bike on Amtrak. The Boston Rail Fan | Wikipedia

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Perhaps because we’ve nowhere to be in a hurry or because we truly enjoy seeing the areas we travel through, retirees are notable for being fans of Amtrak and of bicycling.

So, for a vacation, why not combine the two?

Europeans, of course, have done this for years, loading their bikes into baggage cars for a stress-free trip, say, to the Loire Valley. Not so long ago in the United States, however, getting a bike aboard Amtrak involved taking it apart and putting it into a sufficiently big box, on departure and when returning.

Not so much anymore. Amtrak has in recent years been making “bike closets” available on certain routes for $10 extra. That beats bringing a bike on a flight, which can cost $100, packed in an approved case.

Perhaps more crucially, Amtrak stations are typically located in downtown areas, not in the far exurbs typical of airports. This means Amtrak riders can take their bikes right out onto a city’s streets and pedal away, exploring the city via its bike trails.

Local rides

There are three great ways of putting that concept into action right here in the DMV. You can, for instance, drive with your bike to Baltimore Washington International Airport and park at the BWI Amtrak station (about $14/day). Alternatively, you could put the bike in an Uber X vehicle, typically a van, and skip the parking fee altogether.

From the BWI Amtrak station, there’s a morning Northeast Regional train to Boston that stops in New York City, arriving in either city while there’s plenty of daylight to bicycle to your hotel.

The next morning, you can check out the city — both are filled with bike lanes — or set out on regional bike trails that are among the best in the country.

For instance, you can ride from the center of Manhattan, or any of the other boroughs, all the way to Albany on the relatively new Empire State Trail.

Should you choose to take Amtrak to Boston, you’ll find a supremely bikeable city. Check out the Charles River Trail from downtown to Watertown — with the option to ride to Cape Cod.

To get to the Cape, start early to catch a morning ferry to Provincetown, at the Cape’s tip. “P-town,” a three-hour drive from Boston, is only about a 90-minute cruise aboard either of the two ferries that take bikes. (One leaves from 1 Long Wharf; the other from 200 Seaport Blvd.)

After you arrive and check into your hotel, you can ride the 5.5 miles of the paved Province Lands bikeway to either Herring Cove Beach, the closest, or Race Point.

Many riders simply use Route 6 to get to Herring Cove, thereby avoiding the $15 entry fee for the National Seashore beaches. (Look for the bikes locked along the roadside, then follow the trail to the water.)

Heartier cyclists will also want to ride the 26-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail, which runs southward from Wellfleet to Dennis. That trip, of course, usually involves reserving a motel in Dennis or beyond, for an overnight stay, and riding to Wellfleet on Route 6, with its constant traffic and narrow shoulders.

Nonetheless, the trip is worth it: You’ll glide along the pine-shaded trail, passing the occasional swimmable pond or beach.

C&O Canal ride

The third Amtrak-enhanced bicycle trip in the DMV is to ride the length of the C&O Canal. For this multiday trip, you can either choose to take your bike by car to Amtrak’s Union Station or get a ride to Rockville, Maryland. In either case, you’d catch the once-a-day afternoon departure of the Floridian westbound to Cumberland, Maryland.

You must reserve your Amtrak ticket in advance, as the C&O Canal trip is one of the nation’s premier bike rides, and the bike closets on the Floridian fill quickly, especially on the westbound route. However, the Floridian requires bikes to go into the baggage car. Be sure to book the Cumberland Amtrak Station (CUM), as it’s where the baggage car opens.

Riding the C&O in the autumn usually means dry weather, which is important because the canal trail is paved in crushed gravel. In the spring, sections can flood when the Potomac River crests its banks.

A couple of years ago, when my wife and I rode the canal in the spring, we found a crucial passage, the mile-long Paw Paw tunnel (bring lights or headlamps) closed by a landslide, forcing us to drag our bikes up a muddy hillside detour. Days later, we were routed onto busy country roads, as sections of the canal were closed by high water.

Needless to say, we called a halt to our ride at Harpers Ferry — and luckily scored the last two bike reservations aboard that day’s westbound Floridian. Elated, we met other cyclists on board, including a couple our age who’d flown to D.C. from Seattle specifically to take Amtrak to the start of their canal ride.

Best practices

If you take your bike aboard an Amtrak train, first check that the train serving your destination allows on-board bikes. When boarding the train, look for cars that have a bicycle symbol near their doors; these indicate a bike closet.

Once aboard, remove the bike’s front wheel with its quick-release lever and hang the bike by its rear wheel on the closet’s hook. Then put the front wheel and your bags, if any, in the closet, and find a seat (hopefully a nearby one, to keep the bike in view).

When disembarking, it’s best to let the other passengers, who often cluster near the doors, get off first. Also let the conductor know you’re removing a bike, so you’ll have a bit of extra time.

Read more about traveling with a bike on Amtrak at amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard.