Parks, Forests, Lakes, and Gardens in Greensboro, North Carolina
Forests: If you just like to wander and cavort around the woods, Guilford College’s woods are a nice place to go. There are a some surprises, including a few swings put up throughout the woods by Guilford students, and a platform off of one the trails that you can sit on and look out over the woods. If you’re looking for a trail for walking or running, the main trail is 2.3 miles long in a loop and very nice for either. The woods are found on Guilford College campus, at 5800 West Friendly Avenue.
Greensboro’s Watershed Trails are also nice for walking, jogging, running, or biking. These are a series of trails that are found in woods around Lake Brandt and Lake Higgins.These trails are all of varying lengths and only certain trails allow bicycles.
Owl’s Roost Trail allows bicycles and is 5.2 miles long. The entrance is off of US 220/Battleground Road at Bur-Mil Park. There are also a few other trailheads at this entrance.
The Nat Greene Trial is a nice trail for walking. It is 3.6 miles long and you can get there from the Lake Brandt Marina or the small gravel lot off of Old Battleground, East of Horse Pen Creek Road.
The Piedmont trail is another great trail for runners, joggers, and dog walkers. No bikes allowed on this trail either, but taking one of the little side trails can bring you to the banks of Lake Brandt. The Piedmont trail is found off of Lake Brandt Road, less than a mile north of the Lake Brandt Marina. It’s 2.9 miles long, but not circular, so if you walk the whole thing, you going to have to turn around and walk back. It’s a beautiful walk.
Lakes:
Right by the Guilford College Woods is a small lake where you can bring dogs or just sit in the grass. On nice days, there tends to be groups of college kids sitting around, listening to music, and hanging out, so if you want to be alone or in quietude, this is probably one to avoid.
If you do want somewhere quiet and unpopulated, Lake Brandt is a good place to go. Lake Brandt is a large, beautiful, manmade lake. You can get to it from the Piedmont Trail mentioned above. Just take the Piedmont Trail (off of Lake Brandt Road) and take the first small trail off the main trail (it will be to the left). Following this short trail will lead you to a nice open field right on the banks of Lake Brandt. This is a nice place to read, relax, do yoga, nap, bring dogs, or watch the sunset. It’s a quiet area and usually there are not any other people around.
If you go to the marina, you can rent kayaks, canoes, and rowboats. You can also take a private boats out in the lake.
Lake Townsend is located near Greensboro at 6332 Townsend Road, in Brown Summit, NC. Boat and pier fishing are permitted, and you can rent rowboats and sailboats. If you’re interested in sailing but not very adept at it, the Lake Townsend Yacht Club teaches sailing classes in the summer.
Parks and Gardens:
The two main gardens of Greensboro are conveniently located right next to each other, on either side of Hobbs Road at the intersection with Starmount Farms Road. The Bog Garden and the Bicentennial Garden are quite different, though, from each other. Where the Bicentennial Garden is orderly, with paved paths and intentionally planted flora and fauna, the Bog Garden is more like a nature preserve with its natural plants and trees growing around a small creek that leads to a small lake.
The Bicentennial Garden has a large variety of flowers, and special sections including flowers that are known especially for their great smell and a small trail of wildflowers. It also has a few statues (including a cute one of a boy and girl sitting together on a fence) and large swings where you can sit and rest.
The Bog Garden’s main trail is a boardwalk built amidst the trees and plants, over the creek. You can follow it to an area where you can sit down and look out over the lake, or you can take smaller trails off the boardwalk and around the area.
The Arboretum is another beautiful public garden/park. The Arboretum is found at the corner of West Market Street and Ashland Drive. It’s huge, with a variety of different things. There are playgrounds, basketball courts and baseball fields at one side of it. At the other side, there are paved trails, wooded trails, a gazebo, a fountain, and a special section dedicated just to roses, to name a few. The fountain is worth checking out from above. You’ll find a wooded trail leading up a hill near the fountain. At the top there is a gazebo. Take this trail and look down on the area around the fountain and you’ll see why it’s the butterfly fountain. The Arboretum is great because it has a little something for everybody.
Country Park is a great park for kids, dogs, and bikers. Country Park is located off of Lawndale Drive (near the Natural Science Center) on Nathanael Greene Drive. This is a good one to bring children to, as it has a playground and lots of ducks that you can feed (don’t forget to bring bread!) In addition, there are picnic pavillions, fields, trails through the woods, and a 1.5 mile paved trail. This park is also a dog lovers choice because it contains an off-leash bark park.
If you’re interested in history, the park for you is Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. The visitor center is located on 2332 New Garden Road, but this area closes at 5:00, so you can’t park there if you will be staying later than five. Instead, go past the visitor center (passing it on your right) and turn left at the stop sign at the corner of New Garden and Old Battleground. You can see the parking lot from that corner, so just drive a little ways down the road to take a right into the parking lot entrance. The park has statues and placards up among the trails, chronicling the Revolutionary War and the battles fought in this area for history buffs. For nature lovers, there are a variety of trails, both bike and walking trails, some paved, some not. You can walk through woods or fields, or along the paved road. Picnics and other recreations (frisbee, etc) are frowned upon here, so don’t come to this park if you want to play.
Lake Daniel Park is a great park for fitness buffs. Located parallel to Benjamin Parkway, you can park on Mimosa Drive or East Lake Drive to access the Greenway. The Greenway is a paved, 2 mile long path on which exercise stations are set up for those who like to cross-train as they walk. This park also has tennis courts, a playground, and a basketball court.
For more information, check out:
http://www.greensborobeautiful.org/Index.htm
http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/Departments/Parks/facilities/
