Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
IV-B2. Gibson Park
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5207 W Wendover Avenue, High Point, NC 27265
336-641-2040 http://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/county-parks/gibson-park Administrator: Guilford County Parks, 301 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 336-641-7275 http://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/county-parks Hours of operation: Open every day at 8:00 a.m. except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Closes between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. depending on the season. Contact the park for exact closing time.
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Directions
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GPS coordinates: N 36° 01.893’ W 079° 56.854’
Directions: Access to Gibson Park is on the south side of Wendover Ave. at the edge of the City of High Point just a few miles east of the intersection of Wendover and NC 68. Coming from the west on I-40, take the US 68/Eastchester Drive exit south toward High Point to Wendover Ave. and turn left (east). Coming from the east on I-40, take the I-73 exit south to Wendover Ave. and turn right (west). |
Description
Gibson Park comprises about 200 acres. The park has restrooms and a water fountain. The site has a historical connection to the area. The county website reports that in the mid-19th century there was a factory nearby where handcrafted muzzle-loaded rifles were made that became known as Jamestown longrifles.
A large proportion of the park has sports fields, picnic shelters, and a playground. The most interesting part for birders, however, is the densely wooded portion through which dirt trails and a portion of the paved Bicentennial Greenway run. There is a pond a few hundred yards beyond the picnic area along a right-of-way that attracts wildlife. Continuing past the pond, one enters pinewoods mixed with hardwoods along a dirt trail. This eventually connects with a paved greenway.
The unpaved woodland trails tend to be quiet with low foot traffic and go through a mixed hardwood and evergreen forest. Sometimes there is a good amount of woodland bird activity. The greenway attracts walkers, parents with kids in strollers, runners, and bicyclists. Birders looking through binoculars should step off the pavement for their own safety but still should remain alert on weekends when the traffic can be heavy.
A large proportion of the park has sports fields, picnic shelters, and a playground. The most interesting part for birders, however, is the densely wooded portion through which dirt trails and a portion of the paved Bicentennial Greenway run. There is a pond a few hundred yards beyond the picnic area along a right-of-way that attracts wildlife. Continuing past the pond, one enters pinewoods mixed with hardwoods along a dirt trail. This eventually connects with a paved greenway.
The unpaved woodland trails tend to be quiet with low foot traffic and go through a mixed hardwood and evergreen forest. Sometimes there is a good amount of woodland bird activity. The greenway attracts walkers, parents with kids in strollers, runners, and bicyclists. Birders looking through binoculars should step off the pavement for their own safety but still should remain alert on weekends when the traffic can be heavy.
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Click the image to open a site map in a new window.
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Despite the increased human activity, birding can be good near the greenway. As one walks north on the greenway back toward the parking lot, there are several good spots to look at a marsh, including a short boardwalk with benches for resting and watching for marsh critters. Continuing north on the greenway past the parking area eventually will bring the birder to an industrial park about 6 miles (one way) away if you want to walk that far. Walking south will take you to the Piedmont Environmental Center described elsewhere in this guide.
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette