The plans for Bandera Farms Park show two separate driveways off Bunch Road. According to the project map Pond & Co. presented to nearby property owners, the first is for walkers and cyclists. It leads to the playground, the picnic shelter and a walking and biking trail along Reedy Fork Creek. The second is for horseback riders and opens onto the equestrian trails farther east. Each entrance has its own parking.
The Town of Summerfield has scheduled the grand opening for Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, a little over two weeks from now. The town's project page says event details are still to come. The two driveways tell you the most about this park. Bandera Farms is laid out as two parks on one 120-acre site. Each half serves a different kind of visitor, and together they give the north end of Summerfield its own trails at a time when the main greenway link south toward Greensboro is cut.
One site, two parks
The land runs along Bunch Road, Interstate 73 and Reedy Fork Creek, and it sits entirely inside Summerfield's town limits. Town Manager Charles "Twig" Rollins described its place in the town's park system to FOX8: "This is our third major park. We have an athletic park. We have a community park, and now we're going to have this equestrian park." It will also be Summerfield's largest.
Here is how the two sides divide, based on the plans and reporting so far:
| Walkers and cyclists side | Equestrian side | |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Its own driveway off Bunch Road | A separate driveway off Bunch Road |
| What it leads to | Adventure playground, picnic shelter, trail along Reedy Fork Creek | About 4.5 miles of dedicated horse trails, which pedestrians may also use |
| Parking | Lot near the playground and shelter | Lot near the trailer parking and trail entrance |
| Restrooms | Building closest to the playground and shelter | Building closer to the trailer parking |
The division is deliberate. In December 2025, the Northwest Observer reported that the trails opening first would be unpaved, so riding them would take a mountain bike. Pond project manager Lauren Patterson also said cyclists would not be allowed anywhere near the equestrian trails. "Those two things do not mix," she told the paper. She was describing the design at the time. Look for the town's posted rules at the trailheads once the gates open.
The second restroom almost didn't happen. It was among roughly $2 million in features cut while the project was being "value engineered." In May, the Town Council restored it with a $400,000 drawdown from reserves. Rollins told the Northwest Observer, "People have always wanted the second bathroom, and it's cheaper to do it now than to do it later," because installing it later would have meant hiring a crane a second time. On Aug. 12, a crane lowered the first of the two prefabricated restroom buildings into place.
The greenway mile that runs through it
The park also matters well beyond Summerfield's town limits, because of a single mile of trail.
The Piedmont Greenway is a planned 19-mile shared-use path between Greensboro and Winston-Salem. It would pass through Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Triad Park and Kernersville, with about 11 miles in Guilford County and about 8 in Forsyth. In Guilford, the route mostly follows Reedy Fork Creek. Piedmont Land Conservancy says people across the Triad have shared this idea for "nearly two decades."
The conservancy's own FAQ asks "Are any sections open yet?" and still answers "Not yet." The same answer says a 1-mile section at Bandera Farms will open as a natural-surface trail in 2026, and that a 1.25-mile Forsyth County section from the Salem Lake Trail on Linville Road to Hastings Hill Road is scheduled for construction. Another graphic on the same page calls Bandera "one of the first completed sections" of the greenway.
At Bandera, the greenway runs alongside the horse trails. It starts as a natural-surface path and is expected to be paved when the full greenway is built. The park also strengthens the protective buffers along Reedy Fork Creek, which the town notes is a key source of Greensboro's drinking water.
Why a north-side trail matters this year
That mile opens while Summerfield's best-known trail link is broken. The northernmost trestle bridge on the A&Y Greenway, between Strawberry Road and Bur-Mil Park, closed in September 2023 after an engineering assessment raised safety concerns. The Northwest Observer reported that a replacement was funded with $2 million in federal money plus a $500,000 local match. Construction was expected to start this fall and finish by fall 2027.
North of the gap, the A&Y still has these public access points in Summerfield, according to the Town of Summerfield's trails page:
- Anna Long Marshall Wayside parking lot at 4310 US-220 North, which serves the trail's northern leg
- Summerfield Vine Trail, a public spur north of that lot. The Vineyards spur is private for The Vineyard community.
- Summerfield Road Trailhead, reached through the pedestrian tunnel under US-220
Bandera Farms does not connect to any of these yet. The difference is direction. Until the trestle reopens, the A&Y can't take you south from Summerfield to Bur-Mil. Bandera runs west along Reedy Fork toward the Oak Ridge side of the planned corridor, on land that took four local governments to secure.
Four governments, one deed
Piedmont Land Conservancy bought the first 115 acres in 2020 in partnership with Guilford County, the City of Greensboro, and the towns of Oak Ridge and Summerfield. A neighboring 4.8-acre tract added later brought the site to 120 acres. The town says it was the first time all four local governments partnered on a joint conservation and recreation project. Summerfield owns the land, and a conservation easement held by the conservancy protects it permanently.
The grant list shows how much horses shaped the project. Alongside $2.3 million from Guilford County and $500,000 each from the NC Great Trails State Program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the town lists $100,000 from the Recreational Trails Program and $50,000 from the NC Horse Council. The Northwest Observer put the total price at $4.39 million, with state, federal and partner grants covering nearly all of it.
Bar Construction and Benchmark Trails are building the park. Destination by Design drew the concept, and Pond is managing engineering and construction. Piedmont Land Conservancy's Palmer McIntyre told the Town Council in August, "It is beautiful; it is very well constructed," as reported by the Northwest Observer.
A caretaker on the property
A park with two entrances and miles of trail needs someone looking after it daily, and the town arranged for that. A Summerfield maintenance employee was scheduled to move into the house on the Bunch Road property in August. Rollins described the routine to FOX8: "That caretaker will open the gates in the morning. They will make rounds, check the trash cans, check the trails, the bathrooms, make sure they're clean and ready to go for the day." The park will be open from dawn to dusk.
So the park's day starts when that gate opens. Early riders and walkers who usually show up at first light should plan around daylight. In late fall, that means a later start and an earlier finish than in summer.
What opens Nov. 8 and what comes later
The opening date moved over the course of the build. In December 2025, the target for finishing construction was September 2026. In September, the Northwest Observer was still describing a September opening. The town's posted grand-opening date is Nov. 8.
Some pieces are still on the way:
- The adventure playground. FOX8 reported in August that it was the last element, due for installation in late August, with natural features meant to encourage creative play.
- A dog park. A pad is already graded for a future dog park, which still needs funding.
- Paving. The greenway mile opens as natural surface and is expected to be paved when the full greenway is built.
- Grand-opening logistics. The town has not yet posted the start time, program or parking plan.
Check the town's Bandera Farms page the week of the event for final details. To pair the visit with the rest of the season, our fall playbook for Summerfield covers the farm calendar and dinner spots along US-220 and NC-150.
After Bandera, the next date on the town calendar is the Tree Lighting at Summerfield Athletic Park, 5200 US-220, on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. That means two of Summerfield's three major parks will host public events about four weeks apart.
New parks change how people use the north end of town, and The Jordan Factor keeps track of these changes across Summerfield so our clients have current local information. If you have questions about the Bunch Road corridor or how Summerfield is changing, we're glad to share what we know. Let's Connect.
