Overview
The Bicentennial Greenway is a 14.5-mile paved pathway connecting the City of Greensboro to the City of High Point, NC. The trail, which is a joint effort of the two cities and Guilford County, exists in multiple as yet unconnected segments.
About the Route
The trail, a combination of off-road asphalt, concrete, and gravel paths, and sidewalks, weaves through residential neighborhoods, mixed forests of hardwoods and pine, parks and natural areas. It connects to amenities including shopping areas and schools. It’s open to non-motorized usage, and birding is an exciting activity on the trail, particularly around the Piedmont Environmental Center at the trail’s southern end. The paved portions of the trail may be accessible for those using mobility devices and those interested in inline skating.
The northern segment lies entirely in Greensboro, stretching from Lake Brandt Rd & Old Battleground Rd by the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway to Fox Chase Road. Follow Fox Chase Road to the Fleming Terrace Road roundabout, where the trail picks back up. The trail meanders south with woods on either side for a majority of the route. There are a few road crossings and the trail passes Leonard Recreation Center, where there are restrooms and parking.
There is a very short gap between the intersection of Nora Rd & Friendly Ave and where Nora Road curves east. Use the quiet neighborhood Nora Road, but proceed with appropriate caution. Continuing south, the greenway runs along several streets and passes stores, residences, businesses, and schools. The southern end of this section is at the intersection of Market St & Swing Rd. There are plans to construct sidewalks on Swing Street to bridge the gap, but trail users will still be required to share the road with vehicles along Burnt Poplar.
The trail picks back up a short distance south-west, at Burnt Poplar Road and continues south as it parallels the East Fork Deep River and the western edge of the High Point Lake. There is a short on-road section along Sunnyvale Drive. Just before the southern end on Penny Road, right on High Point Lake, the trail connects to the High Point Greenway.
Connections
At its northern terminus, the trail links up with the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway.
Just northern of the trail's southern end on Penny Road, it connects to the High Point Greenway.
The Bicentennial Greenway runs between the intersection of Lake Brandt Rd & Old Battleground Rd by the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway (Greensboro) and Penny Rd on High Point Lake (High Point) with a few gaps.
Parking is available at:
Visit the TrailLink map for all parking options and detailed direction.
Just rode the whole trail. Trail is fully paved, goes through some really pretty wooded areas. It’s hilly, and the pavement is full of bumps caused by tree roots. Fine for casual bikers, not great for high-speed road bikers. There is a stairway towards the southern end that does accommodate bikes. But it’s nicely done and well maintained.
Very bumpy trail and Zi don’t recommend for biking as it has stairs to climb on the South end. Great walking path, beautiful scenery.
This is a nice Trail for a long walk or short ride You definitely need to be riding a mountain bike a road bike Because the trail is very bumpy Lots of shade on this trail with those hot days.
I have biked from the PEC to Chimney Rock, and it is very peaceful.
It is bumpy and not exactly good for a road bike. If you ride on any trails, then it is acceptable. I enjoy it and it is very peaceful and beautiful. If the tree roots were eliminated, then it would take away from the nature. I highly recommend it
As others have commented , this paved Greenaway is not smooth due to many humps and bumps from tree roots. Lots of cracks and difficult to tell when a crack is a bulge or just a crack. Nice Scenery, not too difficult, but if you go, Be Careful and go slow!
Last week fiance broke his wheel hitting a bump. The day i hit a bump broke my pedal near gibson park.
Sure the trail is asphalt but the tree roots sticking out made it a very bumpy ride and uncomfortable ride. My friend and I drove from Clayton and Durham to ride the Bicentennial Greenway. We got on at the Penny Rd location. We were very disappointed. There were stairs and even a blockage that had a sign to dismount our bikes. It would be nice if Guilford County Parks would invest in fixing the trail.
I started at Penny Road heading north. Within a mile I encountered multiple tree roots bulging the pavement upward. I almost think the responsible maintenance department is clueless on how to build and maintain a trail. If you build an asphalt trail (cheaper than concrete) through a forest, tree roots will destroy the asphalt in short order by heaving the asphalt upwards. You either need to make a well built concrete trail or block roots from creeping under the asphalt. Neither was done on this trail. I finally turned around when it became too dangerous to continue as the pavement was getting worse. I don't think I would even jog on this trail with the surface as uneven as it is. The situation is even worse on a sunny day when hundreds of branches/leaves cast shadows all over the trail - obscuring your view of how bad the trail is.
My wife and I fully enjoyed riding the south end of the trail. We started at the information center in Jamestown. Parking there was free. The Path is asphalt and often provides lake views. Several bridges keep it interesting. The trail has some pretty sharp turns and is constantly providing short up hill approaches and of course, the down hill reward on the other side. Great conditioning ride.
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