Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

North Carolina Outdoors

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Photo Tour

Just the Facts... Local Links Regional Books & Music

One of the things I've noticed visiting our military parks is that former battlefields seem to produce remarkably peaceful and bucolic landscapes. This park is no exception.

Although only 229 acres, the park's ability to absorb people and provide a sense of solitude is quite surprising. The pictures on these pages were taken on a beautiful May evening when the parking lot on Old Battleground Rd. was full. Yet a two minute walk into the forested trails that criss-cross the park's interior produced the uncrowded landscape you see pictured here.

I won't detail the role of Guilford Courthouse in the history of the Revolutionary War, except to say tthe battle fought here on March 15, 1781 is a classic example of winning a battle that leads ultimately to losing the war. For more reading, see this brief history and check out the books below.

Summary - GCNMP

Location: Northwest Greensboro, (Guilford County) at the intersection of New Garden and Old Battleground Roads.

Access: US 220/Battleground Ave. to New Garden Rd.

Ownership: Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

Established: March 2, 1917.

Local Links

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park - The official site.

Guilford Battleground Company Non-profit founded in 1887 that was instrumental in the creation of GCNMP.

Greensboro Parks & Recreation Trails Page

Piedmont Land Conservancy - The land trust for Guilford and eight other northern piedmont counties.

Sierra Club - Piedmont Plateau Group - The local Sierra Club group for Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham counties. Join them for a hike.

Streamflow - Reedy Fork Creek near Oak Ridge.

Streamflow - Brushy Creek at Fleming Rd.

Click for Greensboro, North Carolina Forecast

Books on Guilford Courthouse and the Piedmont

The Road to Guilford Courthouse - by John Buchanan

The Cowpens-Guilford Courthouse Campaign - by Burke Davis

Field Guide to the Piedmont - by Michael A. Godfrey. Yes, the Sauratown Range is in the piedmont. Thorough and scholarly, yet very readable, this is the ultimate natural history guide to the area between the Blue Ridge and the coastal plain.

North Carolina Hiking Trails - by Allen de Hart. Comprehensive. Covers 968 trails. My favorite.

Hiking North Carolina (Falcon Guide) - by Randy Johnson. Covers fewer trails than de Hart's book, but covers them in more detail; maps and photos included.

Trails of the Triad : Over 140 Hikes in the Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point Area - by Allen de Hart. A detailed look at trails in the triad. Maps and photos included.

Hiking North Carolina's Mountains-To-Sea Trail - by Allen de Hart.

Exploring North Carolina's Natural Areas: Parks, Nature Preserves, and Hiking Trails - edited by Dirk Frankenberger.

Newcomb's Wildflower Guide - The best field guide. My copy is only two years old, but already dogeared.

Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains Belongs on the bookshelf, not in the backpack. With over 600 color plates, this is an excellent keep-at-home companion to Newcomb's guide.

Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)

A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians (Peterson Field Guides)

A Field Guide to the Birds (Peterson Field Guides)

Music of the Southern Appalachians

O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack from the movie. An incredible collection of old time music. This is REAL country music. It is everything that today's slick new Nashville pop isn't. Featuring Norman Blake, Emmy Lou Harris, Gillian Welch, Allison Kraus, John Hartford, The Stanley Brothers, and more. An astonishing collection! Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.

Salt Sea Bound - Polecat Creek. First release (March 2002) from this triad-based group. Original music in the Old Time tradition. Outstanding song writing and beautiful harmonies. My favorite album of 2002.

Ballads, Banjo Tunes, And Sacred Songs of Western North Carolina - by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. A Smithsonian Folkways CD, rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.

Clarence Ashley And Doc Watson: The Original Folkways Recordings, 1960-1962 - Doc is a NC legend and national treasure. This is one of his earliest recordings. A Smithsonian Folkways 2-CD Set. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.

The High Lonesome Sound - by Roscoe Holcomb. One of the greatest of the old-time banjo players, Holcomb did almost all of his playing at Holiness Church services and square dances. A Smithsonian Folkways recording. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.

Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time-Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931 Various artists. A classic of the old-time genre. Rated four stars by Amazon reviewers.

The Legacy Of Tommy Jarrell, Vol. 1: 1: Sail Away Ladies - Tommy Jarrell was one of the greatest old-time fiddlers. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers.

Ways That are Dark - by Daniel Gore, with Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Jack Lawrence, and others. A musical companion to Horace Kephart's classic book, Our Southern Highlanders .