Neuse River Trail

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Features Fall Colors · River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

This paved greenway trail parallels the Neuse River as it flows from Falls Lake Dam on the outskirts of Raleigh—North Carolina’s capital city—through suburban and rural Wake County. It is part of North Carolina’s 1150-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST), running concurrently with the easternmost 35 miles of Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 11.

Heading south (east in MST terms), the Neuse River Trail (NRT) begins at the Falls Lake parking area just below Falls Lake dam. The mostly wooded path follows the Neuse River downstream through the edges of housing developments. As it leaves the Raleigh suburbs around mile 20, the trail takes on a more rural, agricultural feel.

The trail crosses the Neuse River several times, affording scenic views of the river, the surrounding floodplain, and wildlife. Travelers also have educational opportunities through the many interpretive signs, which bring alive the history and abundance of natural resources along the trail.

The southern (again, eastern in MST terms) end of the NRT is the Johnston County line; however, the greenway path continues as the Clayton River Walk and Sam’s Branch Greenway in Smithfield.

Highlights include:

• The Neuse River, named for the Neusiok tribe that lived far downstream near present-day New Bern and Havelock.
  
• Pedestrian bridges over the river, including two graceful suspension bridges: one at Skycrest Road and one at Louisburg Road in Raleigh.
  
• Raleigh parks along the greenway including Horseshoe Farm, Milburnie and Anderson Point.