Mountains-to-Sea Trail Through Here Soon

The segment of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail that comes through Clayton will be put together much quicker than originally expected thanks to a $3.6 million state grant, most of which is federal stimulus funds.

Work on the four miles of trail, which begins at the Wake County line and parallels the Neuse River all the way to Sam's Branch, could begin this spring.

"This gives us an opportunity to accomplish about 10 years worth of work in about two years," said Planning Director Skip Browder, who has led efforts to bring the trail through Clayton and Johnston County. "We've been working on this pretty diligently for close to two years."

The town's portion of the cost will total about $14,000, which might be paid for through funding from other grants. This section of the Trail will be maintained by the town.

The work includes a pedestrian bridge that will link the Trail with a greenway that extends all the way to South O'Neal Street. Greenways that would allow residents to safely walk across Clayton have long been part of the planning process here. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail will fit right in.

The 1,000 miles of paths and bike trails that make up the Trail will wind from Clingman's Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park at the Atlantic Ocean. It wanders through 37 counties, three national parks, two national forests, several state parks, two national wildlife refuges, two wilderness areas, a number of swamps, several major rivers, and hundreds of lakes. The mainline distance is between 935 and 945 miles, but with ferry rides, spur trails to scenic overlooks and side trails to campsites, the actual journey will fall just short of 1,000 miles.

Spurred on by volunteers who spend weekends clearing the way, the Trail, a dream that began in the 1970s, is nearly half completed.