Cliffs of the Neuse State Park

Great park! The park ranger was so helpful… We arrived after 5 but she brought us ice and wood for a very affordable price. Also the camp sites there are very cleaned, the bathrooms are clean as well. I highly recommend this park.

My wife and I grew up in Wayne County and used to come here as kids. I also used to camp here with Boy Scouts, so I have some fond memories. We decided to revisit the park to spend a weekend camping, and we had a very nice time.
The camping areas are nice and there is a decent bathhouse. The staff is very friendly and are willing to help out if you need anything (like ice or firewood) after hours. The Rangers patrol frequently, which is nice. The swimming area is great, and the trails are nice and not too difficult. It’s hard/​impossible to see the actual cliffs due to vegetation growing on them, but there are still some good views of the river.
One big warning if you come in the summer (like we did). Most of the trails are SWARMING with ants! These are not fire ants I don’t believe, but whatever they are they bite and it hurts. So be prepared to take in the scenery at a «brisk» pace with no stopping for pics, or they will be on you in seconds.

Finally came here for a walk with friends and my dogs and it was wonderful. Good trails with some stair climbs and views of the water. We stumbled onto the bird trail that took us to the dam and what looked like a beach park across the way and we were able to watch the sun set while having ourselves a little picnic. What a wonderful way to spend a sunny winter afternoon.

Solid state park. They have a really modern, clean, awesome visitor center /​museum /​welcome area staffed with super friendly & helpful staff. The ants are for real though & will make traipsing through some of the paths a little more adventurous. Highlight is the swimming area that’s a cordoned off portion of the lake/​river thing. I felt like the swimming area was a better draw than the cliffs themselves, but that’s just my personal opinion. We spent hours and hours in the swimming zone. Bonus: all the bathrooms were shockingly clean and well-​stocked. A very well run park.

Very beautiful place to visit except for the ants! It is not recommended to just wear sandals… those ants will feast on you! :-(

Great fun to be had by all. I have lived in Goldsboro all my life, and have fond memories of hanging out at this state park. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to love this place even more. I love to take my 4 year old daughter and my 7 month old boxer/​pitt mix on hikes here at the Cliffs. The lake is a great area for picnics (but no dogs allowed in that area), and they have campsites, picnic areas, a museum and several great trails. The Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is the best of Wayne County!

Nice walking trails, it’s early March so it is hard to tell the foliage of the park. I did not expect to see scenery like this, especially cliffs around flat Goldsboro. Bad thing about the park is they do not allow dogs at the lake. Booooooo!

Took our kids on their first camping trip here in ’07 after we moved to Jacksonville. It was a great time. We got there late in the day and found a nice spot. It’s about $ 12/​night. We didn’t pay at the office because it was closed but a ranger was driving around and accepted the payment. We ate and then walked around the campsite and talked to several other camper and one nice older couple shared watermelon with us.
One thing about the place is that people bring campers and the one night we spent there was a bunch of people across the way blaring music and had their lights shining until late.
The park is right on the Neuse River. There are hiking trails which range in difficulty. We went down all of them. There is a museum at the trail head that has taxidermy displays of animals from the area. It’s pretty nice. Then you can go down one trail that has steps and goes down to close to the river and then u turns along the cliffs. There is a lookout spot where you can actually see the cliffs but be careful because when we went they railing wasn’t that great. Follow a smoother trail and it takes you right down to the river. There were some people there fishing. Keep following the trail and it leads you in to the woods, and across a creek that was cool and clear.
This is a nice, primitive park. It does have grills and picnic tables, and for $ 12/​night it is a great deal.