Triad Park – Including The Carolina Field of Honor

Triad Park is one of the largest and most substantial public parks in the greater Kernersville, NC area — a 426-acre regional park with a genuinely rare governance structure: jointly owned and operated by both Forsyth County and Guilford County. The park spans the border between the two counties and offers a comprehensive range of outdoor recreation, athletic facilities, and community programming for residents of the Piedmont Triad region.

The park’s most distinctive feature is the Carolina Field of Honor — an 8-acre veterans’ memorial established in 2014 as one of the more substantial military memorial installations anywhere in NC. The Field of Honor centerpiece is a 60-foot-tall, 106-ton granite obelisk surrounded by monuments honoring each branch of the U.S. military, plus a 9/11 memorial featuring a steel beam recovered from Ground Zero in New York.

Be sure to check out the YouTube video and pictures below to get a feel for Triad Park and the Carolina Field of Honor before you go — or to relive the visit after.

A Two-County Regional Park with Cross-County Governance

Triad Park’s genuinely singular governance structure sets it apart from most public parks. Rather than being operated by a single county or municipality, the park is jointly owned and managed by Forsyth County and Guilford County — reflecting its physical location straddling the border between the two counties in the heart of the Piedmont Triad region.

That cross-county partnership is genuinely rare in NC public parks and gives Triad Park a truly regional identity — serving residents of both Forsyth and Guilford counties, as well as the broader Piedmont Triad metropolitan region, including Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point.

The park’s address (9652 East Mountain Street on the Forsyth side, which continues as West Market Street when it crosses into Guilford County) reflects its two-county footprint. Visitors driving to the park from Winston-Salem approach from the west, while visitors from Greensboro approach from the east — meeting at the shared regional park in between.

Park Amenities Across 426 Acres

The 426-acre Triad Park offers a comprehensive range of outdoor recreation and family programming. Paved walking trails and wooded hiking paths run throughout the property, giving visitors both accessible and more rugged trail options. Three children’s playground areas are distributed across the park, including a distinctive rock climbing playground — a genuinely unusual public park amenity.

Athletic facilities include baseball and soccer fields, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and a newly opened disc golf course — giving the park substantial appeal for organized sports and recreational leagues across the Piedmont Triad. A newly built amphitheater hosts community events and live entertainment programming during the warmer months.

The park’s outdoor recreation is rounded out by a fishing pond, multiple picnic shelters, individual picnic sites with built-in grills, and dog-friendly access throughout (leashed dogs are welcome). Combined, these amenities make Triad Park a genuine year-round destination for families, athletic teams, individual outdoor enthusiasts, and community groups.

The Carolina Field of Honor — A Veterans Memorial and 9/11 Tribute

The Carolina Field of Honor occupies a dedicated 8-acre section within Triad Park and stands as one of the most substantial veterans’ memorials in North Carolina. Established in 2014, the memorial was designed to honor the service and sacrifice of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, with NC being home to more than 650,000 veterans statewide.

The memorial’s design centers on a 60-foot-tall, 106-ton granite obelisk with a cascading fountain at its base. Surrounding the obelisk are monuments and flags honoring each branch of the U.S. military — creating a genuinely striking visual centerpiece for the memorial space.

Access to the memorial is through five entrances, each flanked by smaller stone markers describing different American wars, giving visitors a chronological historical framework as they approach the central obelisk. The main entrance features 12 versions of the U.S. flag used throughout the country’s history, and an engraved brick walkway leads visitors from the main entrance through the memorial space. Visitors can sponsor engraved bricks in honor of specific veterans, making the walkway a genuine community-participation element of the memorial.

Several months after the original 2014 dedication, a 9/11 memorial was added — featuring a steel beam recovered from Ground Zero in New York. The beam was donated by D.H. Griffin, a Greensboro company hired to help clean up the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York — creating a genuinely rare direct physical connection between the NC memorial and the World Trade Center site.

The Field of Honor hosts annual ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, drawing thousands of veterans, active-duty military members, and their families from across NC.

Good to Know

• Location: 9652 East Mountain Street (Forsyth side) / continues as West Market Street (Guilford side), Kernersville, NC 27284
• Size: 426 acres
• Governance: Jointly owned and operated by Forsyth County and Guilford County — a genuinely rare cross-county public park governance structure
• Regional identity: Part of the broader Piedmont Triad region (Winston-Salem / Greensboro / High Point)
• Park amenities:
• Miles of paved walking trails and wooded hiking paths
• Three children’s playground areas (including a distinctive rock climbing playground)
• Baseball and soccer fields
• Sand volleyball courts and horseshoe pits
• Newly opened disc golf course
• Newly built amphitheater for community events and live entertainment
• Fishing pond
• Multiple picnic shelters and individual picnic sites with built-in grills
• Pet policy: Dog-friendly (leashed dogs welcome throughout the park)
• Admission: Free
• Hours: Check the Forsyth County Triad Park website for current park hours
• The Carolina Field of Honor within Triad Park:
• Size: 8-acre dedicated memorial section within the larger park
• Established: 2014
• Purpose: Honoring the service and sacrifice of U.S. Armed Forces members (NC is home to 650,000+ veterans)
• Centerpiece: 60-foot-tall, 106-ton granite obelisk with cascading fountain at the base
• Design details: Monuments and flags honoring each branch of the U.S. military surrounding the obelisk
• Entrances: Five entrances, each flanked by smaller stone markers describing different American wars
• Main entrance: Features 12 versions of the U.S. flag used throughout American history
• Engraved brick walkway: Visitors can sponsor engraved bricks in honor of specific veterans
• 9/11 Memorial: Steel beam recovered from Ground Zero (New York) — donated by D.H. Griffin, a Greensboro company that helped clean up the 9/11 aftermath in NY
• Annual ceremonies: Memorial Day and Veterans Day, drawing thousands
• Organized by: War Memorial Foundation board members
• Admission: Free (donations appreciated)
• Best for: Families with children (thanks to the three playgrounds, including rock climbing), organized athletic teams (multiple ball fields and courts), disc golf enthusiasts, community event attendees (amphitheater), veterans and military families, and Piedmont Triad residents looking for a comprehensive regional park experience
• Pair with: The full Kernersville attractions cluster, including the 1878-1880 Körner’s Folly Victorian architectural masterpiece, the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, the Kernersville Auto Museum, and the natural landscape of Cascades Preserve

A Kernersville Highlight

Triad Park is the kind of stop that stays with you for the sheer scale and depth of a two-county regional park. Standing on 426 acres jointly owned and operated by Forsyth and Guilford counties — with three playgrounds (including a rock-climbing playground), miles of trails, multiple athletic facilities, disc golf, an amphitheater, and a fishing pond — offers visitors a genuinely comprehensive public park experience.

The Carolina Field of Honor rounds out the appeal. Between the 60-foot granite obelisk, the monuments honoring each military branch, the 12 versions of the U.S. flag at the main entrance, the engraved brick walkway, and the 9/11 memorial featuring a steel beam recovered from Ground Zero in New York, the memorial creates one of the most genuinely substantial veterans’ tribute installations anywhere in North Carolina.

The Memorial Day and Veterans Day annual ceremonies — drawing thousands of veterans, active-duty military, and their families to the memorial — extend the Field of Honor’s role from static memorial into an active community gathering space for honoring military service.

Combined with the park’s dog-friendly access, free admission, and comprehensive year-round programming, Triad Park has become one of the most consistently rewarding regional park destinations anywhere in the greater Winston-Salem / Piedmont Triad region — and a genuine anchor of both the Forsyth County and Guilford County public parks landscapes.

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Resources

Forsyth County Triad Park Website

The Carolina Field of Honor Website

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Social Media

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