Clayton is a small town in the high plains of northeast New Mexico, serving as the county seat of Union County with a population of 2,643 as of the 2020 census and an elevation of 4,967 feet.
Clayton sits in the rolling grasslands of New Mexico's northeast corner, about 130 miles northwest of Amarillo, Texas, and close to the borders with Oklahoma and Colorado. Founded as a trading hub on the Santa Fe Trail, the town today supports agriculture and tourism amid wide-open spaces and dark skies.
Clayton offers golf, parks, museums, and the Union County Fairgrounds. Nearby, Clayton Lake State Park features fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and extensive dinosaur trackways. The Herzstein Memorial Museum serves as an official interpretive center for the Santa Fe Trail with regional history exhibits. Visitors can explore sites along the Historic Santa Fe Trail, the gravesite of outlaw Black Jack Ketchum, and the Kiowa National Grasslands. Capulin Volcano National Monument lies a short drive away, offering panoramic views across four states.
Local options include specialty coffee at Mock's Crossroads Coffee Mill, which roasts beans on-site. The Historic Hotel Eklund provides dining in a historic setting with traditional Western atmosphere.
Clayton is accessible by car via U.S. highways connecting to Amarillo and Raton. The nearest major airport is in Amarillo, roughly a two-hour drive southeast.
The Historic Hotel Eklund offers lodging in a three-story stone and wood building with old Western elegance and competitive rates.
As of the 2020 census, Clayton had a population of 2,643.
Clayton Lake State Park with dinosaur tracks and dark skies, the Herzstein Memorial Museum, and Capulin Volcano National Monument are nearby.
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Clayton experiences a cool semi-arid climate with hot summers, cool dry winters, and monsoon rains from June to September. The town and nearby Clayton Lake State Park, a Gold-level International Dark Sky Park, offer excellent stargazing year-round due to low light pollution.