Guilford County parks draw more than 1.1 million visitors yearly

Guilford County’s park system works like a connected outdoor map, not a loose collection of green spaces. Five county-managed parks, seven regional parks, Triad Park, Guilford-Mackintosh Park and Marina, and a dozen passive parks spread across more than 4,500 acres give residents a countywide set of choices for walking, fishing, camping, playing and gathering.

County materials put the network’s reach in sharp relief. The parks and open-space pages describe more than 60 miles of trails, while a later county release says the system includes over 30 miles of trails and greenways and drew more than 1.1 million visitors in FY24-25. For anyone planning a cheap weekend close to home, the practical takeaway is simple: there is enough variety here to build a full day around one park, or stitch together several stops without leaving Guilford County.

A countywide system built for different kinds of outings

The county’s trail locator underscores how broad the network is. It covers parks and facilities in Gibsonville, Greensboro, Guilford County, High Point, Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Stokesdale and Summerfield, which means the system reaches well beyond any one city limit. That matters for families trying to save on fuel, because the closest useful park is often in a neighboring municipality rather than across the county.

Guilford County’s Parks Master Plan page points to the scale of the planning challenge behind that network. The county describes the plan as a 10-year comprehensive guide for immediate, short-term and long-range recreational needs, a sign that the park system is being managed as infrastructure as much as scenery. The mix of county-managed parks, regional parks, passive parks, trails and special-purpose facilities gives the county room to serve casual walkers, organized teams and people looking for a longer stay.

Best bets for a full day outside

Bur-Mil Park is one of the clearest day-trip anchors in the county. The 250-acre park sits beside Lake Brandt and dates to 1989, when Guilford County bought the former Burlington Industries recreation facility. That history still shapes the place: the original property was known as Owl’s Roost Farm and Poker Club, and the park now blends fishing, boating, shelters, event space and the Frank Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center into a single stop.

Bur-Mil also links directly to the broader trail network. Pedestrians can access the Atlantic-Yadkin Greenway next to the wildlife education center, and the paved trail leads to Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. That makes Bur-Mil unusually useful for walkers who want a loop, not just a destination, and for families who want a park with both nature programming and a built-in connection to another historic site.

Best for kids, school-age energy and easy repeats

Northeast Park in Gibsonville fills a different role. At 374 acres, it packs in a state-of-the-art aquatic center, hiking, biking and equestrian trails, athletic fields, picnic shelters, playgrounds and wide open space. That combination makes it one of the county’s most versatile places for children, since one trip can cover swimming, running around and a picnic without needing a second stop.

The park also functions as civic space, not just recreation land. Its meeting and event center includes a 2,400-square-foot banquet room designed for weddings, business functions and family gatherings, with exclusive use of the building and surrounding property. Guilford County has also used the park for its annual Fireworks Extravaganza on July 3, which shows how the site doubles as a public gathering place when the county needs room for a large crowd.

Best for camping, longer stays and group gatherings

Hagan-Stone Park is the county’s most obvious overnight option. The 409-acre park was established in 1964 and honors Anne Hagan and Joseph Stone, two people recognized by the county for dedicating their lives to preserving nature. Its campground has sites for motor homes, recreational vehicles, trailers and tents, giving it a wider camping mix than a simple picnic park.

The park’s Activity Resource Center extends that use into the event calendar. It seats up to 80 guests and is used for retreats, birthday parties, weddings, receptions, holiday gatherings and family reunions. For residents trying to stretch a weekend without paying for hotels or private venues, Hagan-Stone gives Guilford County one of its strongest built-in options for a stay that can combine camping with a formal indoor gathering.

Where water access and trail miles matter most

Water access is concentrated in a few places rather than scattered across the county. Bur-Mil’s location on Lake Brandt gives it fishing and boating, while Guilford-Mackintosh Park and Marina adds another water-focused piece to the system’s public-use network. That concentration is useful information for planning, because it keeps lake days and trail days from being treated as the same outing.

The trail system is equally practical. Guilford County Farm spans 720 acres, with 600 acres leased to local farmers and 120 acres maintained by the county for trails, greenhouses, vineyards, fishing ponds and other uses. The county has also promoted guided hikes on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail there, which makes the farm one of the best places in the system for people who want a longer walk with a strong local landscape.

Where the gaps still show

The county’s own setup reveals the main limitation of the system: the amenities are broad, but they are not evenly distributed. Passive parks and greenways offer easy access and low-cost movement, while the most specialized features, aquatic centers, campgrounds, banquet rooms, marina access and large event spaces, are concentrated in a handful of anchor parks. That is good news for variety, but it also means a trip planner has to match the park to the purpose.

For Guilford County residents, that is the value of the system in one sentence: the county has built enough range to support a lake day, a trail day, a camping weekend and a public event without leaving local roads. The parks are not interchangeable, and that is exactly what makes them useful.