State: New Mexico
Address 1: 141 Clayton Lake Rd.
City: Clayton
Zip: 88415
Phone: (575) 374-8808
Open all Year: Yes
Number of Sites: 37
Electric: 7
Camp URL: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/Clayton.htm
Full Hook: Yes
Set among rolling grasslands, Clayton Lake State Park offers excellent trout, catfish and bass fishing. Walk a half-mile to the lake’s spillway and see the internationally significant dinosaur trackway, containing more than 500 footprints dating back more than 100 million years.
Along the spillway, more than 500 dinosaur footprints have been preserved and identified. Plant-eating and carnivorous dinosaurs, as well as some ancient crocodiles, made these prints. Interpretive markers identify significant tracks and paleontological features on the walk. The best times to view the tracks are in the morning and late afternoon.
Several duck species — including mallards, pintails, and teals — frequent the lake, Canada geese and bald eagles are often seen. The lake offers outstanding fishing. Four state-record walleyes have been caught since 1980. The current record is 16 lbs. 9 oz.
Clayton Lake State Park is 12 miles north of Clayton via NM 370. The area is owned by the New Mexico State Game Commission and the Department of Game and Fish, with significant funding by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act.
