The Sauratown Mountains sit along the northwestern most part of the Piedmont Triad region in Surry and Stokes Counties, but are just a short trip away. Named after the Saura Indians that once inhabited the area, these mountains are some of the easternmost in North Carolina and represent the leading edge of the larger Appalachian Mountain Chain. With open, sweeping vistas and peaks that seemingly jut out from nowhere above the relatively flat Piedmont, their sheer beauty and natural splendor are unsurpassed in North Carolina. Consequently, two of the crown jewels of North Carolina’s state park system, Pilot Mountain State
Carter Spradling
Carter is a Regional Planner at Piedmont Triad Regional Council and is the director of the Northwest Piedmont Rural Planning Organization. He enjoys coaching triad area youth sports and taking walks with his family and two dogs.
Battleground Avenue, Greene Street, Cornwallis Drive. These are not just random street names, but reminders of the immensely important events that occurred in the heart of the Piedmont Triad nearly 250 years ago. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse which was fought in what is now northwest Greensboro was one of the pivotal and defining moments that birthed our nation. In March, 1781, General Nathaniel Greene, Greensboro’s namesake and George Washington’s most trusted general, lead Continental Soldiers and militias from North Carolina & Virginia against the infamous British general, Lord Charles Cornwallis, across the Piedmont region of the North Carolina Colony.