Clayton Lake State Park Campground
Reviewed May. 29, 2022

Hidden gem of a park, excellent night sky, excellent dinosaur tracks

First, the 10-mile road to this park is fine.  After reading the one review calling the road horrible, we were braced for the worst, but it turned out to be completely fine, not so much as a pothole.  So disregard that.

Second, this park is actually a hidden gem.  It's quite large, with multiple camping sites spread down one side of the lake.  The one location for electrical sites is a bit tightly packed, with not much space between sites, but if you're tent camping or boondocking there is plenty of room in this park at other camping locations to spread out.  And when we stayed mid-week there were only a couple of other trailers in the electrical section, so we didn't feel too crowded ourselves.  The lake is pretty with what seems to be good fishing judging by how many locals were there casting lines in the water.  The sunset views are beautiful, and the night sky is absolutely superb.  We had an amazing view of the total lunar eclipse the night we stayed here in May 2022.

The real attraction of this park, however, is the dinosaur tracks, which are some of the best in the *world*.  It's crazy that they're out here in the middle of nowhere, but if you make the short hike to see them you will be amazed.  The story of how they were discovered, by accident during the construction of the dam for this lake, is equally amazing.  Great park for kids, and great destination if you're traveling along 87 and weighing where to stay between Amarillo and Raton.

SiteE6
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Clayton Lake State Park Campground by Jeff T., May 29, 2022
  • Review photo of Clayton Lake State Park Campground by Jeff T., May 29, 2022
  • Review photo of Clayton Lake State Park Campground by Jeff T., May 29, 2022
  • Review photo of Clayton Lake State Park Campground by Jeff T., May 29, 2022
  • Review photo of Clayton Lake State Park Campground by Jeff T., May 29, 2022