Guilford County announced the grand opening and ribbon cutting for Company Mill Preserve, a greatly anticipated and highly scenic area 240-acre area in Pleasant Garden right next to Hagan-Stone Park will be Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

The ceremony will be held in the parking lot for the preserve at 6334 Company Mill Road.

Guilford County has been working for years to open the new section of the preserve.

John Gladstone, the supervisor of passive parks and the County Farm for Guilford County, said there’s a lot to see in the new area.

Hikers especially should enjoy this, the second phase of Company Mill Preserve, since it includes an extensive trail network and what the county is calling “an advanced boardwalk system to maximize the incredible views found on-site.”

Gladstone said visitors should enjoy seeing old tobacco barns and scenic vistas such as a wetland overlook and new views of the lake and dam in the preserve.   The county has labeled some of the structures as “historical” and “culturally significant to the area.”

Gladsone said that Matt Wallace, a county parks employee who’s done a lot of work opening preserves over the years, and the late Anne Hice, a well-known nature lover, helped the county get the grant money that made this possible.

The first phase of development of the trail system for Company Mill kicked-off with a grand opening ceremony in April 2017.