Discover Greensboro Program Guide Summer 2023

Osprey Trail

Celebrating Our Trails

partnerships to make that happen. The system's growth could not have been done without the passion and persistence of thousands of local volunteers. Meet the Volunteers From the beginning, volunteer assistance from local, outdoor-enthusiast clubs was a crucial resource to building, maintaining, and advocating for trails. Today, two organizations remain instrumental in keeping and growing quality trails, the Piedmont Fat Tire Society and Friends of the Mountains-to Sea Trail. Group members put in more than 3,848 volunteer hours in 2022. The Fat Tire Society is a group of biking enthusiasts who have long advocated to grow the City’s mountain biking trail network. “Back in the 1990s, there were only three places to mountain bike and there were only about three miles to ride,” said Mark Gatehouse, a Fat Tire Society member and long-time trails volunteer. He was among those who advocated for trail expansion. “Greensboro City Parks and Recreation and the Fat Tire Society both accomplished together what neither of us could do individually. We have built 30 miles of trails at very little expense to the Greensboro Parks and Recreation department.” Peeler Recreation Center

This year Greensboro Parks and Recreation joins partners across the state in celebrating the North Carolina Year of the Trail – the largest statewide celebration of trails and outdoor recreation in state history. As part of the Great Trails State Coalition, we’re encouraging people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to try some of our 100+ miles of local trails. Our trails are an important source of health, wellness, and safe transportation to community members and an economic draw. We hope to inspire new interest and investment to help grow and expand our great system. Connections Matter Let’s start by telling a story of partnerships. The City of Greensboro has been building greenways and trails across the park system since the 1970s. In the mid-1990s, the Parks and Recreation Department created a specialized trails and greenways section to lead the effort to maintain and grow the system with new, interconnected trails. For the last 50 years, the City relied on grants, individual and corporate donations, and powerful

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