- Clayton Lake State Park
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Clayton Lake State Park New Mexico State Park 
Dinosaur footprint from the fossil trackway at Clayton Lake State ParkCountry 
United StatesState 
New MexicoCounty Union Location Clayton - elevation 5,040 ft (1,536 m) - coordinates 36°34′42″N 103°18′22″W / 36.57833°N 103.30611°W Area 471 acres (190.6 ha) Founded 1965 Management New Mexico State Parks Division 
Location of Clayton Lake State Park in New MexicoClayton Lake State Park is a state park of New Mexico, USA. It is located 15 miles (24 km) north of Clayton, close to New Mexico's border with Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. The landscape is characterized by rolling grasslands, volcanic rocks, and sandstone bluffs, set on the western edge of the Great Plains. The park area was a stopover point for travelers along the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail.
Visitors today can enjoy picnicking, camping, and fishing at the 170-acre (0.69 km2) lake, as well as view one of the most extensive dinosaur trackways in North America. Clayton Lake was created by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department in 1955 as a fishing lake and winter waterfowl resting area.
A dam was constructed across Seneca Creek, which is actually a series of seeps except after heavy rains. During the fishing season, which usually runs from March to October each year, the lake is a popular spot for anglers hoping to catch trout, catfish, bass, and walleye. Boats are allowed on the lake, but are restricted to trolling speeds. The lake is closed to fishing during the winter, when it serves as a stopover for waterfowl.
The park offers a group shelter and a modern comfort station. The dinosaur tracks are embedded in rock near the lake. They can be observed on the dam spillway at the end of a gentle 0.25-mile (0.40 km) trail. The best times to view the tracks are in the morning and the late afternoon. A sheltered gazebo and a boardwalk trail provide extensive information regarding the dinosaurs.[1]
In 2010, the Clayton Lake State Park with the Star Point Observatory was designated by the International Dark Sky Association as a Dark Sky Park[2][3].
References
- ^ New Mexico State Parks Division. "Clayton Lake State Park". New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/Clayton.htm. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
- ^ http://docs.darksky.org/PR/2010/IDSParks2010.pdf
- ^ http://docs.darksky.org/DarkSkyPlaces/IDSPClayton.pdf
External links
Categories:- Fossil trackways in the United States
- New Mexico state parks
- Protected areas established in 1965
- Parks in Union County, New Mexico
- Dark sky parks
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