Lake Brandt Open Space & Hiking Trai
Park
232 acres6 mi of trail
Wild Turkey TrailNat Greene Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Beyonce245 of English Wikipedia. · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Greensboro
13% of Greensboro’s land is conserved: 11,588 acres
The biggest trail networks: Lake Brandt Open Space & Hiking Trai (6 mi), Country Park (3.8 mi), Bur-Mill Park (2 mi). 10,518 acres are parks and preserves, 35 per 1,000 residents. 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #16 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
11,588 acres · of 134.7 sq mi of land
Trails
73 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
10,518 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
96 mi
58 mi lanes · 32 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
32
1 beach · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Greensboro?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greensboro have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greensboro is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #16 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greensboro’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (73 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land35 acres of park per 1,000 residents (10,518 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 95%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Greensboro ranks #121 on Outdoors.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Lake Brandt Open Space & Hiking Trai, with 6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Country Park
Park
224 acres3.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bur-Mill Park
Park
250 acres2 mi of trail
Big Loop TrailOwl's Roost Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bryan Park
Managed by City of Greensboro
790 acres1.9 mi of trail
Townsend Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Price Park
Park
88 acres1.4 mi of trail
Evergreen Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Oka T. Hester Park
Park
87 acres0.9 mi of trail
Hester Park Trail 1Hester Park Trail 4Hester Park Trail 3Hester Park Trail 2
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 99 parks & preserves
Lake Brandt Open Space & Hiking Trai232 acres · 6 mi of trail
DirectionsCountry Park224 acres · 3.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBur-Mill Park250 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsBryan Park790 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · City of Greensboro
DirectionsHamilton Lakes Park51 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPrice Park88 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOka T. Hester Park87 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsFisher Park16 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsGateway Gardens11 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPeabody Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsJoe Davis Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Shannon Woods Park32 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Benjamin Park Bog Garden23 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGuilford Courthouse National Military Park213 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsBarber Park118 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBingham Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKeeling Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Keeley Park129 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLake Daniel Park63 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMarket Street Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreensboro Arboretum20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCumberland Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFoust Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCardinal Cove2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOle Asheboro Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Greensboro
DirectionsRosewood Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Latham Park71 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park35 acres
DirectionsStarmount Park35 acres
DirectionsHillsdale Park30 acres
DirectionsLindley Park26 acres
DirectionsKings Forest20 acres
Sheridan Park19 acres
Leonard Recreation Center18 acres
Greenhaven Park18 acres
DirectionsTanger Bicentennial Gardens16 acres
DirectionsRolling Park15 acres
DirectionsShannon Hills Park15 acres
DirectionsMemorial Stadium Complex14 acres
DirectionsAdams Farm Park14 acres
DirectionsPinecroft Lake Park13 acres · Piedmont Land Conservancy
DirectionsBrown Bark Park13 acres
Lake Daniel Reservoir Park12 acres
DirectionsHampton Park11 acres
Bluford Park11 acres
DirectionsWoodlea Acres Park10 acres
Revolution Park9 acres
DirectionsHunter Hills Park9 acres
O. Henry Oaks Park8 acres
Tannenbaum Historic Park8 acres
DirectionsRandom Woods Park8 acres
DirectionsAmber Park7 acres
Forest Valley Park7 acres
Craft Park6 acres
Britishwoods Park6 acres
DirectionsLake Townsend Park6 acres · City of Greensboro
T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Natural Area6 acres · T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society
DirectionsDouglas Park6 acres
DirectionsPeeler Center & Park6 acres
Old Peck Ballfield6 acres
Glenwood Park5 acres
DirectionsErskine Park5 acres
Kevin Harvick Foundation Park5 acres
DirectionsDudley School Park4 acres
DirectionsSmith Center & Park4 acres
DirectionsGreenfield Park4 acres
Johnson Park4 acres
Rotherwood Park4 acres
DirectionsDogwood Park3 acres
College Park3 acres
DirectionsArdmore Park3 acres
DirectionsLebauer Park2 acres
DirectionsCascade Park2 acres
DirectionsSpring Valley Park2 acres
DirectionsForest Hill Park2 acres
DirectionsThe Blandwood Gardens2 acres
DirectionsCarolina Laurel Park2 acres
Oaks West Park2 acres
Sternberger Park2 acres
DirectionsKirkwood Park2 acres
Nut Bush Park2 acres
Fairview Homes Park2 acres
DirectionsNealtown Park2 acres
Elmwood Park2 acres
Zoe Barbee2 acres
Gracewood Park2 acres
Center City Park1 acres
DirectionsHood Park1 acres
Murchie Street Park1 acres
Robert F. Mayer Park1 acres
DirectionsNottingham Park1 acres
Tuscaloosa Street Tot Lot1 acres
Youth Park Plaza1 acres
DirectionsMary Lynn Richardson Park1 acres · Greensboro History Museum
DirectionsMerryweather Road Park1 acres
Northside Park1 acres
Springdale Park1 acres
DirectionsPear Street Park1 acres
Tolbert Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
11,588 conserved acres
13% of Greensboro’s land. Who manages Greensboro’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city3,210 ac
County3,142 ac
National Park Service224 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government81 ac
State conservation56 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits51 ac
State natural resources9 ac
Local Recreation Area · 9,261 acLocal Park · 3,545 acLocal Resource Management Area · 2,563 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1,224 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 224 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 12 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 54 of 193 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Greensboro Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8,400 | Unknown |
| Guilford County Park Local Park | County | 3,133 | Open |
| City of Greensboro - Country Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 415 | Open |
| Lake Brandt - Owls Roost Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 391 | Open |
| Lake Brandt - Reedy Fork Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 331 | Open |
| Lake Brandt - Nat Greene Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 309 | Open |
| Lake Townsend - Townsend Dam Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 259 | Open |
| Guilford County - Bur-Mil Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 227 | Unknown |
| Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 224 | Restricted |
| Lake Higgins - Lewiston Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 212 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
151 places to go in Greensboro
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Greensboro
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Greensboro
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Public pools in Greensboro
Thunder Bay Wave Pool
DirectionsPlus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Greensboro
Adams Farm PlaygroundIn Adams Farm Park
DirectionsBritish Wood ParkIn Britishwoods Park
DirectionsCarriage Hills Park
DirectionsDavid Stern Play Ground
DirectionsDeclan’s PlaygroundIn Market Street Park
DirectionsSafety TownIn Jaycee Park
DirectionsSpring Valley Park
DirectionsVillage in the Trees
Directions1 more playground
Woven Works ParkIn Cumberland Park
Directions125 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Greensboro
6 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Greensboro
Lake Higgins Marina
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Greensboro
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Greensboro
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Greensboro
Guilford Meadows Disc Golf CourseGuilford College
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Greensboro
Black Diamond Backyard
DirectionsDuneleith Community Garden
DirectionsIvy GardensNC Cooperative Extension
DirectionsThe Community Garden at FBCFirst Baptist Church
DirectionsPlus 3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 32 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 28.4 miUnpaved · 57.7 mi
Bald Eagle Trail4.4 mi
Owl's Roost Trail3.4 mi
Wild Turkey Trail3.4 mi
Nat Greene Trail3.3 mi
Townsend Trail3.2 mi
Reedy Fork Trail3.0 mi
Laurel Bluff Trail2.9 mi
Blue Heron Trail2.6 mi
Piedmont Trail2.6 mi
Osprey Trail2.1 mi
15 more trails
Big Loop Trail
1.9 miPalmetto Trail
1.8 miAtlantic and Yadkin Greenway
1.7 miCrockett Trail
1.1 miEvergreen Trail
0.9 miWest House Trail
0.8 miHester Park Trail 1
0.6 miKing Fisher Trail
0.6 miUnderground RR Tree Path
0.4 miBog Garden Trail
0.2 miHester Park Trail 4
0.2 miNat Greene Trail Connector
0.1 miHester Park Trail 3
0.1 miHester Park Trail 2
0.1 miWatershed Connector Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Adams LakereservoirBayleaf Ln Retention PondpondBuffalo LakeCardinal Country Club LakeCarlson Farms LakereservoirCrystal LakelakeDaniel Lumber Company LakeFairfield LakereservoirFriendly LakeGoose CovepondGreensboro Country Park Lake Five AreservoirGreensboro Country Park Lake Five BGuilford College LakelakeHardys Mill PondreservoirJefferson Club LakeJim King PondLake BrandtreservoirLake EuphemiareservoirLake HamiltonLake HermanreservoirLake HigginsreservoirLake JeanetteLake PropertyPoplar Grove PondpondRounda LakeShadow LakeSki LakereservoirWood LakereservoirBull RunHorsepen CreekNorth Buffalo CreekSouth Buffalo Creek
Biking & sports
96 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
58 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
32 mi
off-road bike paths
5.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Atlantic and Yadkin GreenwayBike route
1.7 miCourts & fields
225Tennis
67Baseball
44Basketball
35Soccer
22Pickleball
10Football
8Softball
8Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →61 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 51 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
StagvilleBuilding · listed 1973
About itJefferson Standard BuildingBuilding · listed 1976
About itBumpas-Troy HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itMichael Sherwood HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itGuilford County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itCharles H. Ireland HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itGreen Hill Cemetery Gatekeeper's HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWafco MillsBuilding · listed 1979
About itHillsideBuilding · listed 1980
About itCentral Fire StationBuilding · listed 1980
About it49 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Greensboro: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 50 | 54 | 61 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Greensboro →
Next door
Greensboro and its neighbors
Greensboro has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | 13% | 0.5 | 35 | 89% | A |
| Summerfield | 4% | 0.1 | 26 | 34% | C+ |
| Jamestown | 10% | 1.6 | 56 | 96% | A+ |
| High Point | 11% | 0.2 | 32 | 75% | B+ |
| Kernersville | 2% | 0.2 | 12 | 54% | C+ |
| Oak Ridge | 3% | 0.2 | 32 | 28% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greensboro
Where can I hike in Greensboro?
The longest trail networks: Lake Brandt Open Space & Hiking Trai, 6 miles; Country Park, 3.8 miles; Bur-Mill Park, 2 miles; Bryan Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greensboro is conserved land?
13% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Greensboro’s trails?
Lake Brandt Open Space & Hiking Trai and Country Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greensboro?
96 miles of bike routes are on the map: 58 of painted or protected lanes, 32 of off-road paths and 5.7 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway.
Is there public land near Greensboro?
24,610 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greensboro or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10,518 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Greensboro have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #16 of 290 in North Carolina. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Greensboro neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →