Clayton Lake State Park Campground
New Mexico State Park
Write a Review 141 Clayton Lake Rd. Clayton, NM 88415 575-374-8808 Official WebsiteGPS: 36.574, -103.3006
Overview of Clayton Lake State Park Campground
Last Price Paid: $10
Reported by roadtrippers-dikeatwork on 10/13/2024
Longest RV Reported: 41 feet (Class A)
Reported by Richard on 9/6/2021
Number of Sites 37
Pad Type gravel
Reservations yes
Elevation 5,183 ft / 1,579 m
Max Length 30 ft
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Clayton Lake State Park Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 575-374-8808
camper-920233 asked on 4/12/2024
Which of the camp site location is best for stargazing?
pezman asked on 2/21/2020
We have a 28' Travel Trailer. Will we fit in the electric sites? How's the spacing between sites?
Reviews of Clayton Lake State Park Campground 21 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 10/13/2024
Confirmed by 3 Users
Last reported 10/13/2024
“Beautiful retreat ”
Reviewed 4/17/2021
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Great stop and the dinosaur tracks were an added bonus.
We had a site with electric/water and it was pull through. Nice and level. Room for a huge rv.
ATT service was 2-3 bars. Speed 34 down, 28 up.
No Verizon or Sprint.
Would stay again! Follow us on our journey on Instagram @canadianbucketlistlife
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Canadian Bucketlist Life would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great camping, kayaking and birding”
Reviewed 10/21/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | C9 |
| RV Length: | 27' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We were grateful when NM State Parks opened on Oct. 1 but only to residents of NM. We purchased an annual camping pass which allows us to use a campsite without electricity for free. However the Reserve America fees still apply. Campers must have made a reservation with Reserve American in advance, no drop-ins. We found this to be ... more
We were grateful when NM State Parks opened on Oct. 1 but only to residents of NM. We purchased an annual camping pass which allows us to use a campsite without electricity for free. However the Reserve America fees still apply. Campers must have made a reservation with Reserve American in advance, no drop-ins. We found this to be an absolutely magical oasis, and were sorry we only stayed for 3 nights. The Park Manager is extremely friendly and helpful, plus there are also staff on hand in the Park during nights. This was a bit comforting as we felt that we were really off the beaten track. Our campsite had a wonderful view, and was set aside from other campsites for extreme privacy. The driveway into the site was a bit steep, but there was plenty of maneuvering space to back into this unique site. It did require a bit of leveling. Our friends camped up in the electric section which seemed very nice and easy to navigate. There is NO cell signal at all. All the sites have a covered picnic table and patio. There is a nice launch ramp for kayaks and other non-motorized craft. While the lake is small, it provides for any exceptional kayaking and fishing experience. I particularly enjoyed kayaking the creek on the upper end of the Lake. The birding was very good, with large flocks of sand hill cranes, bald eagles, and many others.
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Marcia would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Dino tracks!”
Reviewed 10/18/2020
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | E4 |
Overall Rating
This is a great little park. It’s about 12 miles off the beaten path, but the roads are paved and it’s worth it. Very pleasant trail leading to the dinosaur tracks and lots of fun rocks along the lake for kids or kids-at-heart to play on. The non-electric sites are better quality than the electric ones, in terms of size and spacing,... more
This is a great little park. It’s about 12 miles off the beaten path, but the roads are paved and it’s worth it. Very pleasant trail leading to the dinosaur tracks and lots of fun rocks along the lake for kids or kids-at-heart to play on.
The non-electric sites are better quality than the electric ones, in terms of size and spacing, but I’m happy to have electric on this low-40s night. At $14/night for electric sites, it’s inexpensive.
No dump station, so plan to use the Love’s in town or head to Albuquerque, where there are a ton of free ones.
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whitney would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Relaxing”
Reviewed 3/13/2020
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | E3 |
| RV Length: | 38' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Stayed here on 12 Mar 20. We were looking for a quiet place to stay with a nearby trail to walk the dog and kids. This park met all expectations and the dinosuar tracks were neat. The lake seemed low, but peaceful and we saw a couple people fishing. We had Sprint 3G 5 bars roaming. Couldn't get local TV channels. There aren't m... more
Stayed here on 12 Mar 20. We were looking for a quiet place to stay with a nearby trail to walk the dog and kids. This park met all expectations and the dinosuar tracks were neat. The lake seemed low, but peaceful and we saw a couple people fishing.
We had Sprint 3G 5 bars roaming. Couldn't get local TV channels. There aren't many electric and water hook-up sites and only a handful that are pull-through. Everything worked and the sites were well-maintained and clean. There were only three other campers here, unsure how busy it gets in the warmer months, so you might want reservations to ensure the site you want. Would not recommend bringing in anything longer than what we had (60 ft total length).
No one was at the ranger station when we arrived but they have a very easy self-pay station with clear instructions. The hill coming in to the park and on NM 370 was not that bad. Sadly, we had to leave a day early because the park closed for COVID19.
Walski would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Off the beaten path and yet very nice”
Reviewed 9/10/2019
| Nightly rate: | $8 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
A hidden gem. I stayed on the south loop down by the cliffs. Small but nice lake. Plenty of open spaces and privacy. Nice facilities. Windy, but kept all the bugs away.
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Joanyponyexpress would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet & restful”
Reviewed 8/19/2019
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | E6 |
Overall Rating
Nice and quiet. No T-Mobile but heard AT&T works.
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T-Mobile
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 5/9/2019
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Stayed here on our way from CO to TX. Sites are beautiful and park itself is tucked away so will have to travel another 15 min off the main road but so worth it.Gravel sites some more level then others. They have both electric and Boondocking sites all are great. If we didn’t have to be back to Denver would have relaxed here for a coup... more
Stayed here on our way from CO to TX. Sites are beautiful and park itself is tucked away so will have to travel another 15 min off the main road but so worth it.Gravel sites some more level then others. They have both electric and Boondocking sites all are great. If we didn’t have to be back to Denver would have relaxed here for a couple of days. If you enjoy bass fishing this is the place. Would definitely stay again. Rangers are super helpful.
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AmyF would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Right on the water”
Reviewed 2/12/2019
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 4 |
| RV Length: | 17' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Traveling from Colorado to Florida. Was a great place to stop for night. Was in February so no one there but big sites with water and electricity right on the water. Restrooms very clean. Off route a bit but driving there was beautiful even this time of year.
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deline would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great internet here!”
Reviewed 10/8/2018
| Nightly rate: | $4 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 23' |
Overall Rating
We were worried, based on the only other cell phone coverage rating for this campsite, that we wouldn't have internet out here. It's true that there's virtually no Verizon Wireless coverage (1x Extended is as good as we can get on our cell phones with or without the WeBoost running), but the AT&T coverage is *excellent*. At our last NM... more
We were worried, based on the only other cell phone coverage rating for this campsite, that we wouldn't have internet out here. It's true that there's virtually no Verizon Wireless coverage (1x Extended is as good as we can get on our cell phones with or without the WeBoost running), but the AT&T coverage is *excellent*. At our last NM state park (Cimarron), only one of us could browse the internet at a time; otherwise, everything would just stall out and nothing would work. So we would take turns working and getting stuff done, lol.
Well, here in Clayton Lake State Park, we are downloading a video to be able to watch offline, we are watching a video on YouTube, and both of us are using the internet on our computers, and it's blazing right along. It's LOVELY. :) So if you have AT&T, you'll be set to go. Sorry to Verizon-only users.
We arrived at 8:15 at night in the dark while it was raining / snowing, and weren't too excited about that, figuring that it would be awful to get set up. Well, the middle sites are pull-thru while the side sites are back-in, but because we're traveling during the off-season, there were plenty of pull-thru sites for us to pick from. The sites are also pretty level, so we didn't have to mess with leveling in the dark. All sites appear to be electric + water which was exactly what we wanted, so it was just a matter of picking a spot and stopping. :) None of them appear to be something you can book online; they're all first-come, first-serve.
There is an area off to the side that appears to be for tents and/or R-Pods only, and the dirt roads back in there are really rough. But in the main campsite itself, the roads are great and there's PLENTY of parking.
Another reviewer said that you can dump in town at Love's for $5 since this state park doesn't have a dump; that is true, except Love's has raised their prices to $10, plus there is no fresh water fill-up there, just FYI. So all in all, a pretty expensive dump. :(
There are vault toilets down the hill just a little ways that are still open; tomorrow, we will go up to the main bathrooms to see if they're still open or have been closed for the season (it's October 8th, so a lot of the northern NM state parks have started closing their bathrooms down for the season). I'll report back on how it goes.
UPDATE: The main bathrooms at the top of the park ARE still open, and no signs are up about them being shut down, leading me to believe they keep them open all year-round. The bathrooms are flush toilet with showers too; the showers are NOT the push-button but rather the regular knob kind, making me think that I could take a nice hot shower that wasn't Navy style. Well, they set the heat level really, really low (the water came out lukewarm-ish? Veering towards cold. I was NOT impressed). Otherwise, these would've been the perfect showers. :-/
The road into the park was r.o.u.g.h. It was supposedly a state road, but the best description of it is a paved washboard road. It is paved; it isn't dirt or gravel. It's just a really, really bumpy road. As you're driving from Clayton into the park, there are two steep drops that you drive down and cannot avoid – it's the only way to get into the park. Think top-of-the-rollercoaster-just-before-you-drop kind of drops. I would *not* want to drive on that road during icy conditions or snow storms.
The town of Clayton is only 12 miles away; we plan on going grocery shopping, buying propane, and doing laundry in the town of Clayton tomorrow. I'll report back on how that goes.
UPDATE: The Ranch Market in town is TERRIFIC! Two big thumbs up. I've never seen such a great produce department (there's someone who takes pride in their work) and their prices are actually quite reasonable. Gladly recommend shopping there.
Buying propane...we kept trying to fill-up with Pinnacle Propane but their drivers were all out filling up tanks for the local farmers, so we couldn't ever get them while they were in. We ended up going out to the KOA and that was...not pleasant. a) The guy has a day job M-F and normally isn't there during the week. b) He'd taken a day off so he could fix a bathroom, and was NOT happy that we were interrupting his plans. c) He bled off our partially full tank so he could then fill it back up with his propane, losing us about 1.5 gallons. d) The cost of the propane was about a dollar more than any other place we've ever bought.
Do NOT use the KOA for propane unless under extreme duress, and make sure to take an empty tank.
We did our laundry at Ty-Dee Laundry, and it was okay. Nothing to write home about but it did the job.
We ate twice at Sí Señor, Tacos and both times, they made snails seem like they were speed racers. Don't eat here if you're in any kind of hurry.
Oh, Clayton Lake is a "Prize Bass Fishing Area" – my husband will happily test that claim out tomorrow. :)
UPDATE: It was too cold to really go fishing; he tried a couple of times but gave up quickly. We were there during a cold snap with wind, fog, and rain (some sleety-snow too) so not great weather.
We walked over to the dinosaur tracks area; I recommend checking this out just because hey, how cool is that, but don't expect anything amazeballs. There's also horseshoe pits and sand with poles so you can set up beach volleyball; during the summer, I bet this place is just hopping. There's also a boat launch area.
All in all, just the great internet alone makes this a wonderful place for us to stay; the pull-through sites just adds that much more love for the park. But take a shower in your own RV. :)
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WanderWithTheWorkmans would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet and Serene”
Reviewed 4/4/2018
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | Peach Point |
Overall Rating
I stayed two nights at Clayton State Park in my minivan. The road out from Clayton is a narrow two-lane which is even more narrow, with no shoulders from the main road to the actual park. The roads within the park are in very bad shape. The Ranger said that most of the damage was due to a very bad storm and limited funds to fix them. E... more
I stayed two nights at Clayton State Park in my minivan. The road out from Clayton is a narrow two-lane which is even more narrow, with no shoulders from the main road to the actual park. The roads within the park are in very bad shape. The Ranger said that most of the damage was due to a very bad storm and limited funds to fix them. Even with the poor road conditions, I was able to navigate to most of the campsites in a Honda Odyssey. The lake is a lovely and serene small lake with gorgeous overlooks. It is quiet and peaceful. There were hardly any campers there when I was there. There are vault toilets near all of the campsites but only one building by the Visitor Center has sinks, toilets, and showers. Those facilities were great, with good hot water and no charge for the showers. They were clean and very well-kept. The Dinosaur tracks have a good trail to them that is well-maintained. It is 1/4 mile walk but it is an easy walk and worth the time and effort.
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Patricia would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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15 reviews
Land Cruising Adventure: Clayton Lake State Park | New Mexico
This is Clayton Lake, and to the right are what's left of old cottonwood trees that were alive before they started building the dam. This is the type of land that I drove by to get to...
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Amenities
Hookups
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- dry camping
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- boat ramp
- fishing
- picnic area
- recreation trail
- water access
Site Amenities
- big rig
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- restrooms: flush
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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