Greenways & Trails

Miles of greenways and more on the way! Get out on the Greenways!

These greenways provide a safe way for families to experience Clayton. Clayton has gone the extra mile to ensure that safety. The Clayton Police Department does regular patrols on a four-wheeled ATV along the trail routes, and the Clayton Fire Department and Planning Department worked diligently to map the trail and designate addresses along the route so that if someone makes a 911 call from the trail, their location can immediately be pinpointed by emergency responders.

Sam's Branch Greenway - 1358 N O'Neil Street

Sam's Branch Greenway is a beautiful 1.25-mile, 10-foot-wide paved pedestrian and biking trail made possible with roughly $600,000 in funding from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The greenway leads to the winding Neuse River and now connects with the newly dedicated Clayton River Walk on the Neuse, a 4-mile section of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail. These trails now allow families to enjoy 30 or more miles of biking or hiking all the way from Clayton to Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh.

Fun Facts about Sam's Branch Greenway Trailhead and Parking

Did you know that from 1358 N O'Neil Street to:

Outdoor Public Art is 1 mile
Neuse River is 1.25 miles
Pedestrian Bridge over Neuse is 1.75 miles
Clayton River Walk on the Neuse Trailhead and Parking is 2.25 miles
Wake County Line is 5.25 miles
Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh is 33 miles

Clayton River Walk on the Neuse - 2686 Covered Bridge Road

Maybe you'd like to strap on a helmet and embark on a 32-mile scenic trek from Clayton to Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh. Perhaps you'd like to get your children away from the TV and give them a breath of fresh air, riding their bicycles along the sparkling Neuse River. Or maybe you just need some quality family time to take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the picturesque view from the pedestrian bridge spanning the river.

Clayton River Walk on the Neuse is a beautiful 4-mile, 10-foot wide paved trail that begins at the Wake County/Johnston County line and parallels the Neuse River under Covered Bridge Road. It is part of the 1,000-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST), which will connect Clingman's Dome in North Carolina's Great Smokey Mountains National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park and all the way to the coast. If you would like to learn more about how to section or through hike on the MST, visit the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Clayton's section has also been designated as part of the 2,500-mile East Coast Greenway that will extend from Maine to Florida, linking cities in every state on the eastern seaboard.

Clayton River Walk on the Neuse connects with the recently completed Sam's Branch Greenway, a 1.25-mile, 10-foot-wide paved multi-purpose trail, which was also made possible with $600,000 in funding from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A section of Sam's Branch is adorned with a public art project involving local artists and school children.

To ease access to these trails, the Town of Clayton just finished a trailhead/parking lot and access ramp at the intersection of the Neuse River and Covered Bridge Road. It was made possible by grant money from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality.

Fun Facts about Clayton River Walk on the Neuse Trailhead and Parking

Did you know that from 2686 Covered Bridge Road to:

Pedestrian Bridge over Neuse is 0.5 miles south
Outdoor public art is 1.2 miles south
Sam's Branch Trailhead is 2.25 miles south
Wake County Line is 3 miles north
Mial Plantation Road Bridge is 4 miles north
Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh is 30.5 miles north

Legend Park Trail Head

You can access a portion of Clayton's greenways at the Legend Park Trail Head and parking Lot.

Legend Park Address: 553 City Rd, Clayton, NC 27520

Clayton Community Center - 715 Amelia Church Road

When the weather isn't ideal, get some exercise on our indoor walking track. The Clayton Community Center also has stationary bicycles, elliptical machines, and a total body resistance machine. Plus we offer numerous fitness classes to get your heart rate up!

Clayton Community Park - 1075 Amelia Church Road

This is the park that has a little bit of everything. It boasts a 1/2-mile paved walking trail that extends to a 0.3 mile unpaved wooded trail. There are tennis courts, volleyball courts, two playgrounds, 3 baseball fields and bocce courts! Check out a map of Clayton Community Park Trails (PDF).

East Clayton Community Park - 1774 Glen Laurel Road

East Clayton Community Park is our newest and largest park. Enjoy a 1-mile paved and gravel looped trail. We have soccer fields, ball fields, a multipurpose field, and an 18-hole disc golf course, and right across the street is a free dog park. At this facility, we have two picnic pavilions, soccer fields, multipurpose playing fields, a baseball field, and the all-inclusive Harmony Playground.