Guilford County Prison Farm Trails - Elon, NC
“Get Busy Living, Or Get Busy Dying” - Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption.
“Two men looked out from prison bars, One saw the mud, the other saw stars.” - Dale Carnegie
“Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints.” - A sign located at the trailhead with a quote attributed to Chief Seattle, the leader of the Suquamish Tribe, for whom the City of Seattle is named.
Opening Statement -
On Saturday, with my whole family home for the Thanksgiving holiday, we traveled to the historic Guilford County Farm, formerly the Guilford County Prison Farm, between Gibsonville and Elon in northeast Guilford County for a leisurely two-mile hike on the Prison Run Pass and Chain Gang Connector Trails. To keep our day easygoing and to placate our kiddos, we opted not to hike The Breakaway Trail, which would have added an additional two miles.
I’ll Take Magnificent Trail Names For $1000, Alex (Mayim or Ken) - What are Prison Run Pass, Chain Gang Connector, and The Breakaway Trails?
The trail names at The Guilford County Farm are stupendous, whimsically referring to the farm’s storied past as a prison used to detain low-risk offenders from the 1920s to as recently as 2015, with the barbed wire still lining the “yard”. In 1935, inmates constructed a still accessible and impressive “prison dorm” using stones excavated from the property. In addition to building the dorm, prisoners also performed various jobs on the farm over the years while serving out their sentences, ranging from tending the cattle and crops, feeding the hogs and chickens, working in the greenhouses, and the woodshop, even cooking their own meals. If the idea of hiking beside inmates concerns you, don't fret, prisoners are no longer working or living at the farm for a variety of reasons, and maintenance of the property now falls under the Guilford County Facilities and Parks Department.
Irrefutable Evidence -
The Guilford County Farm Trails have become our family’s favorite local go-to trek, especially when we fancy a short, isolated, relaxed yet invigorating and picturesque hike. There are two trailhead options available and we mostly access the trails from the east, using the trailhead off Gibsonville/Ossipee and Amick Roads for a loop trail around the property. The other trailhead is found at the Farm’s main entrance on Howerton Road, along with the “prison dorm”, “yard”, and greenhouses, providing a lollipop trail.
Extenuating Circumstances and Mitigating Factors -
The Guilford County Farm trails offer something for everyone, following partly along the meandering Travis Creek with several bridges and rock crossings, a now gorgeous lake once choked with algae, large rock outcroppings, a young hardwood forest, several open vistas, and the potential for wildlife sightings. Beavers, coyotes, fox, deer, and several rare birds such as Cackling Geese and Virginia Rail have been recently spotted at the farm. And while we didn’t see any animals or rare birds on our hike on Saturday, there were numerous trees with evidence of recent beaver activity. (Beavers might be my new favorite animal!)
Closing Argument -
After spending a fair amount of time in our car traveling to visit family near the coast early during the holiday, it was wonderful to get outside and spend some time in nature, and the Guilford County Farm Trails never disappoint.
The Verdict -
On our way home from the farm, I asked my captive audience what was everyone’s favorite part of the hike. Almost unanimously, the answer surprisingly was just being together. What? Wow! I’m not sure if my kids were using their best Dale Carnegie How To Win Friends book study on me, but their answers made me very happy and somewhat emotional. It’s true, we always enjoy our time with each other and have fun on our hikes, and I am very blessed and thankful for that. However, with teenagers, I can say that hasn't always been the case and our hiking adventures have helped bring us closer together. I also believe that if you are looking for ways to become closer with your family, friends, and loved ones, hitting the trail is an excellent place to start. It surely has worked for us!
