Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Clayton, NM

Clayton Lake State Park lies in the NE corner of New Mexico. It is about 12-15 miles North of the small town of Clayton. Most camping sites are basic and seven are electrical with water hookups. There is a horseshoe pit and a volleyball area along with a pavilion for group gatherings. There is a visitor center and a bathroom with two flush toilets and two shower stalls (which could use some updating). 

The main attraction is the dinosaur tracks, uncovered when topsoil was removed to build the dam. That caused a lake to form and some trees that were along the banks are now visible standing in the lake. There is a boat launch area and it is for trolling motors, canoe or kayak use. It can get very windy. The lake is surrounded by a rocky cliff-like shoreline. Swallows make their nests in the clift face.

The electrical sites are terraced near the boat launch area near the dam end of the campground. The basic sites are scattered around several loops and nest in rock outcrops at the other end of the campground. The visitor center and bathroom are near the entrance.

Clayton Lake State Park, Clayton, NM…5200 ft elev.

Beautiful oasis nestled away in the windswept high plains of NE New Mexico. Not only for today's travelers but for yesterday's pioneers we take the Cimmaron Cutoff from the Santa Fe trail. We pitched tent at Chicano Beach site #2 (there are only two on that ridge), far away from any crowds upon a knoll overlooking a western "dog-leg" of the 170 acre reservoir. Even though the man-made Clayton lake was down from 32' to 19' depth…it was tranquil and bustling with wildlife. Coyotes barked in the distance, strutting turkey's gobbled, jackrabbit's darted, fish jumped and mule deer grazed the shoreline grasses and taking in late night and early morning drinks. Bring your binoculars to glass the shore and ridge lines. Fascinating park, the sandstone formations were varied and interesting…worn away by generations of rain. The rock garden is worth a scramble…very cool columns…(R4 campsite is nestled deep within them and the most highly coveted tent site). Highlight: The dinosaur tracks (uncovered at the spillway around 1982 after a flood) at the spillway are of particular interest. Informational signage lines the spillway and the small pavilion atop the levy. The 471 acre state park was quiet and peaceful. Mark, the park ranger, is full of great information of the area…and incredibly helpful, having spent his entire life in these parts…truly as nice a man you could meet (and the first ranger to ever return my phone message when calling for last minute availabilty). The visitor center and every other aspect of this park is spotlessly clean and meticulously maintained. The visitor center, though small, utilized every inch to bring you desired information of the park's history. New signage and informational displays were going in as we left. A heated restroom/ shower house was a wonderful creature comfort. Plenty of very new and clean pit latrines and water spigots dotted throughout the campground. If you don't want crowds avoid the fishing tournament the second weekend of June when about 900 campers descend to camp and fish…and most summer holidays. Other than that there is room….and no bad spots. I'd recommend using the online reservation portal. Tent sites are cheap($10 developed/$8 primitive)…actual too cheap, in my opinion…the state parks are nearly bankrupt, if not already so. Skeleton staffs are underpaid, yet they worked tirelessly to keep the parks to the highest standard. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/claytonlakestatepark.html

•A nearby highlight is the Capulin Volcano National Monument an hour away up Rt 87. The walk around the rim of the dormant volcano offers epic views of the surrounding high plains, Sante Fe trail and the jagged snow capped mountains to the West.

Black Mesa State Park in the panhandle of Oklahoma. Farthest point you can go in the panhandle and it borders Colorado and New Mexico. It’s the only part of Oklahoma that’s on Mountain Time.
The park was great. We stayed in a tent but also had a trailer that we carried everything in so we were able to stay in a RV spot. We went in the summer and it was not crowded at all. Most others stayed a night or two, but we stayed 4 or 5 days. By the weekend more people were coming in. There was electric and water at our site but I don’t remember if they had sewage hookups as we didn’t use that. There are restrooms on site. The showers could have used a real good scrubbing but were usable. The park ranger maintained the grounds well. The views are gorgeous and if you get up during the night to see them, the stars you can see out there are amazing!! There are some trails to hike around the camp and even some fossilized wood. There is a lake right there too and at least one lookout spot over it which was perfect at sunset. We hiked Black Mesa and took a trip into New Mexico to see Mount Capulin Volcano. The park was peaceful and beautiful. Not a lot of shade trees but there were some areas in the campground that had some. A great experience. We definitely want to go back.