40 Hike Challenge: #25 Smithfield’s Neuse Riverwalk

Distance: 3.1 miles one way

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Elevation Change: Gain, 73 feet; loss, 85 feet

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

The Smithfield Riverwalk in segment 11 of the Mountains-To-Sea-Trail combines the serenity of the Neuse River with the active downtown of Historic Smithfield. The hiker on this trail gets a complete overview of the vibrant community by traveling from a state of the art recreation complex; an undisturbed woodland area; a calming river and concluding in a revitalized town with much character.

The piece of art shown above is located at the junction of Bridge and Front Streets in Historic Smithfield. It was commissioned by the Town of Smithfield, the NC Arts Council as well as several local foundations. To truly visualize and appreciate the meanings, this sculpture should be seen at night. It is the work of Artist Erik Beerbower . The purpose is to highlight and celebrate the contributions of African Americans to Smithfield from Colonial times to present.

The following is from the Historic Downtown Smithfield’s Facebook Page:

The man and woman’s profile look inward to the hands of faith and the empowerment of education found in the Johnston County Training School facade. Their line of sight passes both the plowman, who rose from sharecropper to entrepreneur status, and the bugler, whose military service and musical inspiration issued the call to “rise above” for full participation in the social and economic community.

Hike #25 of the MST 40 Hike Challenge begins at the Smithfield Recreation Area, an impressive facility of resources for the community. It boasts an indoor Aquatics and fitness center as well as a multitude of ball fields for different levels of competition.

The trail goes around the park and the easiest path to begin the hike is to proceed away from the Aquatics Center to the right of the park and around the kid’s playground area. During this hike, the MST runs concurrently with the Buffalo Creek Greenway, which is a 3 mile paved greenway extending to the Neuse Riverwalk in Smithfield.

The Buffalo Creek Greenway leaves the recreation area and continues through the woods and across a few creeks. On this day, it was very quiet with few walkers. This Greenway is an excellent example of how to connect a downtown to an active community and recreation area just a few miles away and still give adventurers a sense of being in the forest.

At the time of this post (November 2021), the current trail from the Recreation Area to the downtown has a detour near the midpoint due to construction. The detour is well marked, easy to follow, and takes the hiker through a scenic residential area of beautiful historic homes. This is an excellent opportunity to remind all hikers, no matter where or how long you are hiking- always check for the latest trail updates. For the MST, you can find the latest updates at this link on their website.

Toward the end of the hike, the greenway travels along the Neuse River. A small plaque denotes the remains of a bridge that was originally constructed shortly after the Civil war and was utilized until 1907.

For those that are interested in paddling a large portion of the Mountains to Sea Trail (from Smithfield to the northern end of the Neusiok Trail in the Croatan National Forest), the beginning is here at the Smithfield Boat Launch at the end of N. Front St. in the Smithfield Town Commons. If you want more information, details and helpful resources can be found on the MST website.

A complete list of the 40 Hikes and their Blog Posts can be found here

40 Hike Challenge Blue Ridge Parkway Conserving Carolina Falls Lake Hickory Nut Gorge Hiking Lake Lure Linville Gorge Mountains to Sea Mount Mitchell North Carolina Trails