Piedmont Greenway Master Plan - Town of Kernersville

REGIONAL CONTEXT
The Piedmont Greenway Corridor is centrally located within the counties of Forsyth and Guilford. The
corridor will span the Salem Lake area in Forsyth County to Lake Higgins in Guilford County. Because of its
key location, the potential exists for this corridor to be the major recreational spine for parks and open spaces
in the central region, connecting the cities of Winston Salem, Kernersville, and Greensboro. The primary
function of the greenway will be to serve as an alternative transportation corridor for walking, bicycling and
other forms of transportation. A greenway along portions of Kerners Mill Creek, Reedy Fork Creek and
Moore’s Creek also provides an opportunity to manage the creeks’ significant natural resources, providing a
continuous “green corridor” protecting riparian wildlife habitat and wetlands and improving water quality.
Development of the Piedmont Greenway addresses a clearly identified need for walking paths and safe bicycling
facilities within the cities and counties of the region.
Regionally, the Piedmont Greenway is an
important segment of a larger corridor which can
link to existing trails such as the Winston-Salem
Strollway, Salem Creek Greenway, Salem Lake
Trail system, Triad Park trail system, Bicentennial
Greenway (Greensboro and High Point systems),
Lake Higgins trail system. Other important links
are the natural resource areas of Reedy Fork Creek,
Beaver Creek, Moore’s Creek, and the Lake Higgins
and Lake Brandt natural areas (See Regional Map,
Figure 1.). This regional network of open space
and greenway corridors could serve as a recreation/
alternative-transportation linkage into neighboring
communities, and other parks and community
facilities including schools, libraries, and neighborhoods.
Additionally, spur trails would provide future
connections along creek streambeds, equestrian
trails and utility corridors to ultimately tie into
Kernersville lake, and existing trails such as Bowen
Branch Trail, Silas Creek Greenway, Bethabara
Trail, Lake Brandt trail system, the proposed
Haw River Regional Greenway, and the proposed
Mountians-to-Sea North Carolina trail system.
The creeks that form the continuous Piedmont
Greenway corridor are an important water resource and their recreational and educational
opportunities are significant. Pedestrian access into the more southern portions of the greenway
would create a new north-south route for greenway users, who could then access Salem Lake
Natural Area with its several piers for fishing and viewing, picnic areas, walking trails and a fishing
center. The Piedmont Greenway will link important existing educational and recreational areas
such as Salem Lake, Kernersville Lake, Lake Higgins and Lake Brandt at Bur-Mil-Park to communities
such as Old Salem, Kernersville, and Summerfield, while providing a link to urban and
heavily commercialized areas within Winston-Salem and Greensboro.
The cities of Winston-Salem, Kernersville and Greensboro offer scenic surroundings and
important historical sites. In recent years, residents and tourists have enjoyed the enhanced atmosphere
of the revitalized downtowns. The Piedmont Greenway will further empower the region
to provide opportunities that will connect communities, parks, wildlife corridors and historic and
cultural sites.
Figure 1. Regional view of the Piedmont Greenway Corridor.
PIEDMONT GREENWAY
Final Master Plan Report 4