Canoe, kayak access on Neuse River moving forward

A public access for canoes and kayaks will go on this section of the Neuse River
near N.C. 42 East and Castleberry Road near Clayton. Photo courtesy Town of Clayton

 

A boat ramp on the Neuse River near Clayton can move forward thanks to an agreement among the County, the Town of Clayton and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Under the agreement, the town will handle routine upkeep and such day-to-day matters as trash pickup. And with the agreement in hand, the Wildlife Resources Commission can finish designing the boat ramp and start construction.

“We do not have a construction start date,” Austin Cross of the County’s Parks & Open Space Department told County Commissioners on Jan. 5. “But we have spoken with the engineer on site, and they said that we’re getting very close to the finish line of design.”

The boat access, for canoes and kayaks only, will be the third in Johnston. The others are on the Smithfield Town Commons and near Richardson Bridge near Princeton, though the one in Clayton, near N.C. 42 East and Castleberry Road, will be the first county-owned one.

“Hopefully in the future, we can fill in and make the Neuse River a good resource for recreational purposes and hopefully heighten people’s awareness of the Neuse River,” Cross said.

The boat ramp, he added, will offer the first fishing pier on the Neuse River in Johnston County. “We can provide public fishing for citizens, which currently, besides private fishing ponds, there is none,” Cross said.

Once the Wildlife Resources Commission starts construction, perhaps late this year or in early 2027, Cross estimates the work could take six to eight months to complete. 

“Due to Hurricane Helene in the mountains, a lot of construction crews had to move out there,” he said. “So it’s set back construction.”

Commissioner Ted Godwin welcomed a canoe and kayak ramp at the site. “I used to be a canoe racer, and we had a couple of races along that stretch of the river years ago,” he said. “It was not easy to get in and out, so this will be good.”

 

Page last updated on:  January 14, 2026