Union County: Santa Fe Trail, Dinosaur Tracks, and Grasslands

Union County combines impressive landscapes with traces of regional history. National grasslands, dinosaur tracks, and historic sites along the Santa Fe Trail give the area a distinctive character. For planning your trip, it is worth deciding first what you would like to focus on: culture and history lead to Clayton, while nature experiences at Clayton Lake State Park, Capulin Volcano, and the Kiowa Grasslands offer varied impressions. It is best to choose a vacation rental or vacation home based on the experiences that are most important to your travel group.

Santa Fe Trail and History in Clayton

In Clayton, the Herzstein Memorial Museum features exhibits about the Santa Fe Trail. The exhibits also include artifacts from the Dust Bowl era. The museum is housed in Clayton’s former Methodist Episcopal Church—a historic setting that connects the museum visit with the town’s history without implying that the church is currently used as a place of worship.

Also located on Main Street in Clayton is the Luna Theater. Since its construction as the Mission Theater in 1916, it has been a landmark and is one of the oldest surviving theaters in New Mexico. A section of the Santa Fe Trail near the Herzstein Memorial Museum can also be explored by car. Those interested in the historic journey along this route will find another notable reference point at McNees Crossing: the site was an important resource for water, grass, and wood. The Clayton Complex includes campsites and geographic features of the Santa Fe Trail. It begins at McNees Crossing near the Oklahoma border and extends 35 miles southwest along the trail to Round Mound, also known as Mount Clayton.

When visiting this historic destination, note the specific access situation: Visitors reach McNees Crossing through a gate on private grazing land. This information should therefore be included in your day’s planning if you would like to include the site in your trip.

Dinosaur Tracks, Lake, and Volcanic Landscape

Clayton Lake State Park offers an unusual combination of natural and historical attractions. A raised walkway at the spillway provides close-up views of the dinosaur tracks exposed there; however, the path is not accessible. From the overlook at the end of the Clayton Lake dam, the view extends over more than 800 dinosaur footprints. During fishing season, which generally lasts from March through October, the lake attracts anglers hoping to catch trout, catfish, bass, and walleye. Depending on your interests, a stay can therefore combine fossil tracks, landscape observation, or fishing.

The landscape changes again at Capulin Volcano. From the volcano rim, the view extends across four different states. The Crater Rim Trail is a 1-mile paved loop along the edge of the volcanic crater, with a 300-foot elevation change on the ascent and descent. When Volcano Road is open, visitors can drive the paved, 2-mile road to the Rim Parking Lot; the drive takes 10 to 15 minutes. When planning your visit, take into account both the road’s opening condition and the stated distances and elevation changes.

The Right Accommodation for Your Trip Planning

If cultural history is your focus, consider orienting your plans around the places and experiences in Clayton. For a nature-focused trip, the dinosaur tracks, lake, volcanic rim, or Kiowa Grasslands may instead be the deciding factors. The Kiowa Grasslands are considered an area of rugged natural beauty and rich history. This allows families and other travel groups to accommodate different interests for each day without having to combine all excursion destinations into a single itinerary. When searching for accommodation, pay particular attention to which of the places mentioned you actually want to include and which access information is relevant to your trip.

For regional comparison, you can also include Sandoval, Luna, Torrance County, Eddy, Bernalillo, Quay, and Otero County in your further trip planning.

For the broader travel overview: New Mexico.