Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for Oriental, NC

The harbor at Oriental provides excellent anchorage for small craft. Two marinas are in the harbor and basin.
Good anchorage was reported in Greens Creek for vessels drawing less than 4 feet.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
Oriental is a small town at the entrance to Smith Creek on the north bank of the Neuse River about 11 miles above the mouth. The harbor is protected by a rubble-mound breakwater marked by a light off the end.
A dredged channel, marked by lights and daybeacons, leads from Neuse River to a basin at Oriental. In 2009, the midchannel controlling depth in Smith Creek was 7 feet with 7 to 10 feet in the basin. In 1992, shoaling to 3 feet was reported northeast of Windmill Point, on the west side of the channel in about 35°01’14″N., 76°42’00″W.
A fixed highway bridge 0.2 mile above the entrance to Smith Creek has a clearance of 45 feet. An abandoned railroad bridge, in ruins, crosses Morris Creek about 1 mile above the highway bridge. Greens Creek joins Smith Creek at Dewey Point just above the highway bridge.