A Unique State Park In New Mexico, Clayton Lake Is Home To Prehistoric Wonders

During the 1950s, Seneca Creek was dammed to create Clayton Lake, located 12 miles north of the northeastern New Mexican town of Clayton. And that should have been the end of the story. People would have trekked out to this peaceful place to enjoy a little boating, fishing, camping or wildlife watching. All of those activities continue to happen. However, a 1982 flood revealed a whole other dimension to this unique state park in New Mexico.

Between 1950 and 2010, there were 24 floods within 50 miles of Clayton. But this particular flood was different.

The waters of Clayton Lake rose, overflowing the earthen dam. The floodwaters washed away a layer of sediment on the spillway, revealing an incredible secret.

Dinosaur footprints!

And not just a scattering of them.

Clayton Lake State Park contains more than 500 dinosaur footprints that date back approximately 100 million years! It’s one of the best collections in the nation.

This state park is on the southern end of what has been called the "Dinosaur Freeway." A shallow strait, known as the Western Interior Seaway, once linked the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. These footprints were made when herds of dinosaurs crossed land consisting of muddy sand that was still wet.

So what kind of dinosaurs stomped through New Mexico?

Ornithopod dinosaurs made the wide footprints, where three distinct toes are visible. In other words, these were made by large plant-eaters, probably iguanodontid dinosaurs.

This type of dinosaur had big back feet and small front feet. Since there are tracks at the Clayton site from both sets of feet, we know that these dinosaurs either walked on all fours, or else they had the ability to switch between moving on two or four feet.

Other footprints on the trackway tell us that theropods passed through the area too, along with crocodiles that left enduring marks on the land.

It’s quite humbling to see evidence of dinosaurs up close.

A raised boardwalk allows you to get pretty close to the prints.

It’s actually easier to see them after rain, when water fills in the depressions.

In addition to the Dinosaur Trackway, the park’s other unusual feature is a gold-credentialed International Dark Sky astronomy observatory.

Next time you want to contemplate the epic history of Earth and our Universe, head to this one-of-a-kind state park. To learn more about this park, click here to visit its website.

Address: 141 Clayton Lake Road, Clayton, NM, 88415

As with all New Mexico state parks, there is a $5 fee per car.

Here are some other appealing state parks hiding in New Mexico.