RV Parks In Clayton, New Mexico

Clayton has a nice split between full-hookup private parks in town and public camping at the lake. Clayton RV Park sits right at the junction of US 64 and US 87 with dozens of long pull-through sites, full hookups, and 30/50 amp service, and it takes rigs up to 100 feet. Coyote Keeth's RV Park, off Highway 87 near mile marker 7, runs 70-foot full-hookup pull-throughs with 20/30/50 amp power, a shower house, and horse stalls. For scenery, Clayton Lake State Park has 26 sites, nine with water and 30-amp electric, beside a dinosaur trackway and a certified Dark Sky Park. Between them you can pick convenience or public-land quiet.

Yes, at the two private parks in town. Clayton RV Park offers full hookups, meaning water, electric, and sewer at your site, with 30 and 50 amp service on level gravel pull-throughs. Coyote Keeth's RV Park also provides full hookups with 20, 30, and 50 amp power and 70-foot pull-through sites. Both stay open year-round. The public option is different: Clayton Lake State Park has nine sites with water and 30-amp electric, but no sewer at the site and no dump station on the property, so it is electric-and-water rather than full hookup. If full hookups are a must, book Clayton RV Park or Coyote Keeth's in town.

Yes. Clayton Lake State Park, run by New Mexico State Parks about 12 paved miles northwest of town, has 26 sites and takes RVs and trailers from 30 to 50 feet. Nine of the sites offer water and 30-amp electric hookups, and the rest are basic with no hookups. There is no dump station or fill station at the park, so plan to service your rig in town before you come out. You reserve through the New Mexico State Parks system on ReserveAmerica, up to six months ahead, and the nine electric sites fill first for summer weekends. The payoff is lakeside camping beside a dinosaur trackway and outstanding dark-sky stargazing.

It depends on public versus private. Clayton Lake State Park is the budget pick, with basic sites around $10 a night and the nine water-and-electric sites around $14, so you can camp on the lake cheaply if you do not need full hookups. The private parks in town cost more but deliver full hookups and highway convenience: Clayton RV Park runs in the low $30s a night, and Coyote Keeth's RV Park sits around $40 to $44. Both are open year-round and offer weekly and monthly rates that lower the effective nightly cost for longer stays. For a quick overnight off US 87, most travelers find the private parks worth the extra dollars.

Absolutely, this is easy big-rig country. Clayton RV Park sits at the junction of US 64 and US 87 with long pull-through sites and takes rigs up to 100 feet, so length is rarely a problem. Coyote Keeth's RV Park has 70-foot pull-throughs designed for easy parking and exit for any size vehicle. The highways into town are wide, open High Plains routes with gentle grades, so getting in and out is straightforward. The one thing to watch is wind, which can push a tall rig around on the open plain and on the county road out to Clayton Lake. Confirm your length when you book, and you will have no trouble finding a spot.

For the private parks in town, a day or two of notice is usually plenty outside of peak summer, though a call ahead is smart on busy travel weekends since Clayton is a common overnight stop on the US 87 corridor. For Clayton Lake State Park, reserve the nine water-and-electric sites well ahead for summer and holiday weekends, because there are only nine and they fill first. You can book the state park through ReserveAmerica up to six months in advance. If you want to camp around a new moon for the best stargazing, book that window early too, since clear dark-sky nights draw astronomy travelers. Midweek in spring or fall, you can often roll in with little notice.

Late spring through early fall is the sweet spot, roughly late May into early October. Summer brings warm to hot highs in the 80s and 90s with low humidity and afternoon thunderstorms, and it is the busiest season for the lake and the dinosaur trackway. Fall is our favorite, with crisp, clear, often calm days and some of the best stargazing weather of the year. Spring is mild but variable and frequently windy. Winter is cold and windy on the open plain with occasional hard snowstorms, so you would lean on the year-round private parks in town rather than the lake. For the best mix of weather and dark skies, aim for fall.

No, and this is the single most important thing to know before camping at the lake. Clayton Lake State Park has no dump station and no fresh-water fill station on the property. Nine of its sites have water and 30-amp electric hookups, but there is nowhere on site to empty your tanks or take on a full fresh-water load. The practical move is to fill your fresh tank and empty your gray and black tanks in town before you drive out, using one of the private RV parks. Plan your water usage for the length of your lake stay accordingly, especially if you grab one of the basic sites without a water hookup.

More than you would expect for a small High Plains town. Clayton Lake State Park has the headline attractions: over 500 fossilized dinosaur tracks from four species along a quarter-mile path, plus fishing and boating on the lake and Gold-tier dark-sky stargazing. About an hour west, Capulin Volcano National Monument lets you drive up an extinct cinder cone and hike the crater rim. Historic downtown Clayton has an early-1900s Main Street, the restored Eklund Hotel, and a still-running single-screen drive-in theater that is a genuine throwback. It is a great base for mixing paleontology, stargazing, and quiet High Plains scenery with a couple of easy day trips.

Yes, but stick to the private parks in town. Clayton RV Park and Coyote Keeth's RV Park both stay open year-round with full hookups, making them the reliable cold-weather choice. Winters here are cold and windy, and the open plains can see hard, fast-moving snowstorms, so be ready to manage freezing pipes with heat tape or a heated hose and to sit out the occasional storm. Clayton Lake State Park stays technically open, but the exposed lakeside sites and lack of full hookups make winter camping there tough. If you need reliable power, water, and sewer through the cold months, book one of the town parks and keep an eye on the forecast for wind and snow.

It is straightforward. US 87 and US 64 run together into Clayton, where US 64 also joins US 56 and US 412, so you approach on wide, open High Plains highways with easy grades. Clayton RV Park sits right at the US 64 and US 87 junction, and Coyote Keeth's RV Park is off Highway 87 near mile marker 7, both with long pull-through sites that make setup simple. Clayton is a common overnight stop between Amarillo, about two hours southeast, and Raton or Trinidad, Colorado, to the northwest. The only real caution is wind on the open plain, which can push a tall rig around, so watch the forecast and take the county road out to Clayton Lake steady.

Generally yes. Coyote Keeth's RV Park has a dedicated pet area and even horse stalls for travelers hauling stock, and most private RV parks in the area welcome leashed pets. Clayton Lake State Park allows leashed pets under standard New Mexico State Parks rules, and the open shoreline and trails give dogs room to stretch their legs. Policies on the number of pets and where they can go vary by park, so confirm the specifics when you book, especially at the private parks. As always, bring proof of vaccinations, keep pets leashed in the campground, watch for the strong High Plains sun and heat in summer, and clean up after them so the sites stay welcoming for the next camper.

It is a solid one, especially if you like quiet, wide-open country and dark skies. Clayton puts you at the junction of several US highways, so you can easily day-trip west to Capulin Volcano National Monument, run up to Raton or over into the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, or just settle in at Clayton Lake State Park for the dinosaur trackway and stargazing. Camp in town at Clayton RV Park or Coyote Keeth's RV Park for full-hookup comfort and a dump and fill station, or head out to the lake for scenery. The town is the regional hub for services, so you can provision, fuel up, and get propane before pushing on to the next stop.

Clayton has a nice split between full-hookup private parks in town and public camping at the lake. Clayton RV Park sits right at the junction of US 64 and US 87 with dozens of long pull-through sites, full hookups, and 30/50 amp service, and it takes rigs up to 100 feet. Coyote Keeth's RV Park, off Highway 87 near mile marker 7, runs 70-foot full-hookup pull-throughs with 20/30/50 amp power, a shower house, and horse stalls. For scenery, Clayton Lake State Park has 26 sites, nine with water and 30-amp electric, beside a dinosaur trackway and a certified Dark Sky Park. Between them you can pick convenience or public-land quiet.

Yes, at the two private parks in town. Clayton RV Park offers full hookups, meaning water, electric, and sewer at your site, with 30 and 50 amp service on level gravel pull-throughs. Coyote Keeth's RV Park also provides full hookups with 20, 30, and 50 amp power and 70-foot pull-through sites. Both stay open year-round. The public option is different: Clayton Lake State Park has nine sites with water and 30-amp electric, but no sewer at the site and no dump station on the property, so it is electric-and-water rather than full hookup. If full hookups are a must, book Clayton RV Park or Coyote Keeth's in town.

Yes. Clayton Lake State Park, run by New Mexico State Parks about 12 paved miles northwest of town, has 26 sites and takes RVs and trailers from 30 to 50 feet. Nine of the sites offer water and 30-amp electric hookups, and the rest are basic with no hookups. There is no dump station or fill station at the park, so plan to service your rig in town before you come out. You reserve through the New Mexico State Parks system on ReserveAmerica, up to six months ahead, and the nine electric sites fill first for summer weekends. The payoff is lakeside camping beside a dinosaur trackway and outstanding dark-sky stargazing.

It depends on public versus private. Clayton Lake State Park is the budget pick, with basic sites around $10 a night and the nine water-and-electric sites around $14, so you can camp on the lake cheaply if you do not need full hookups. The private parks in town cost more but deliver full hookups and highway convenience: Clayton RV Park runs in the low $30s a night, and Coyote Keeth's RV Park sits around $40 to $44. Both are open year-round and offer weekly and monthly rates that lower the effective nightly cost for longer stays. For a quick overnight off US 87, most travelers find the private parks worth the extra dollars.

Absolutely, this is easy big-rig country. Clayton RV Park sits at the junction of US 64 and US 87 with long pull-through sites and takes rigs up to 100 feet, so length is rarely a problem. Coyote Keeth's RV Park has 70-foot pull-throughs designed for easy parking and exit for any size vehicle. The highways into town are wide, open High Plains routes with gentle grades, so getting in and out is straightforward. The one thing to watch is wind, which can push a tall rig around on the open plain and on the county road out to Clayton Lake. Confirm your length when you book, and you will have no trouble finding a spot.

For the private parks in town, a day or two of notice is usually plenty outside of peak summer, though a call ahead is smart on busy travel weekends since Clayton is a common overnight stop on the US 87 corridor. For Clayton Lake State Park, reserve the nine water-and-electric sites well ahead for summer and holiday weekends, because there are only nine and they fill first. You can book the state park through ReserveAmerica up to six months in advance. If you want to camp around a new moon for the best stargazing, book that window early too, since clear dark-sky nights draw astronomy travelers. Midweek in spring or fall, you can often roll in with little notice.

Late spring through early fall is the sweet spot, roughly late May into early October. Summer brings warm to hot highs in the 80s and 90s with low humidity and afternoon thunderstorms, and it is the busiest season for the lake and the dinosaur trackway. Fall is our favorite, with crisp, clear, often calm days and some of the best stargazing weather of the year. Spring is mild but variable and frequently windy. Winter is cold and windy on the open plain with occasional hard snowstorms, so you would lean on the year-round private parks in town rather than the lake. For the best mix of weather and dark skies, aim for fall.

No, and this is the single most important thing to know before camping at the lake. Clayton Lake State Park has no dump station and no fresh-water fill station on the property. Nine of its sites have water and 30-amp electric hookups, but there is nowhere on site to empty your tanks or take on a full fresh-water load. The practical move is to fill your fresh tank and empty your gray and black tanks in town before you drive out, using one of the private RV parks. Plan your water usage for the length of your lake stay accordingly, especially if you grab one of the basic sites without a water hookup.

More than you would expect for a small High Plains town. Clayton Lake State Park has the headline attractions: over 500 fossilized dinosaur tracks from four species along a quarter-mile path, plus fishing and boating on the lake and Gold-tier dark-sky stargazing. About an hour west, Capulin Volcano National Monument lets you drive up an extinct cinder cone and hike the crater rim. Historic downtown Clayton has an early-1900s Main Street, the restored Eklund Hotel, and a still-running single-screen drive-in theater that is a genuine throwback. It is a great base for mixing paleontology, stargazing, and quiet High Plains scenery with a couple of easy day trips.

Yes, but stick to the private parks in town. Clayton RV Park and Coyote Keeth's RV Park both stay open year-round with full hookups, making them the reliable cold-weather choice. Winters here are cold and windy, and the open plains can see hard, fast-moving snowstorms, so be ready to manage freezing pipes with heat tape or a heated hose and to sit out the occasional storm. Clayton Lake State Park stays technically open, but the exposed lakeside sites and lack of full hookups make winter camping there tough. If you need reliable power, water, and sewer through the cold months, book one of the town parks and keep an eye on the forecast for wind and snow.

It is straightforward. US 87 and US 64 run together into Clayton, where US 64 also joins US 56 and US 412, so you approach on wide, open High Plains highways with easy grades. Clayton RV Park sits right at the US 64 and US 87 junction, and Coyote Keeth's RV Park is off Highway 87 near mile marker 7, both with long pull-through sites that make setup simple. Clayton is a common overnight stop between Amarillo, about two hours southeast, and Raton or Trinidad, Colorado, to the northwest. The only real caution is wind on the open plain, which can push a tall rig around, so watch the forecast and take the county road out to Clayton Lake steady.

Generally yes. Coyote Keeth's RV Park has a dedicated pet area and even horse stalls for travelers hauling stock, and most private RV parks in the area welcome leashed pets. Clayton Lake State Park allows leashed pets under standard New Mexico State Parks rules, and the open shoreline and trails give dogs room to stretch their legs. Policies on the number of pets and where they can go vary by park, so confirm the specifics when you book, especially at the private parks. As always, bring proof of vaccinations, keep pets leashed in the campground, watch for the strong High Plains sun and heat in summer, and clean up after them so the sites stay welcoming for the next camper.

It is a solid one, especially if you like quiet, wide-open country and dark skies. Clayton puts you at the junction of several US highways, so you can easily day-trip west to Capulin Volcano National Monument, run up to Raton or over into the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, or just settle in at Clayton Lake State Park for the dinosaur trackway and stargazing. Camp in town at Clayton RV Park or Coyote Keeth's RV Park for full-hookup comfort and a dump and fill station, or head out to the lake for scenery. The town is the regional hub for services, so you can provision, fuel up, and get propane before pushing on to the next stop.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Clayton.