Stargazing

Coyote Keeth's RV Park

Just off Highway 87 at mile marker seven in Clayton, New Mexico—in Union County in the northeastern corner of New Mexico where the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field's basalt flows, the Kiowa National Grassland's shortgrass prairie, and the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail's historic wagon route create the specific high-plains volcanic landscape that Clayton Lake State Park's dinosaur trackway and Gold-certified International Dark Sky Park status have made one of the most geologically and astronomically distinguished rural campground destinations in the southwestern United States—Coyote Keeth's RV Park provides full hookup 30 and 50-amp sites with large pull-through capability, a shower house with handicap access, free WiFi, horse stalls, a dog park, and the Clayton, New Mexico gateway access that Clayton Lake State Park's 500-plus dinosaur tracks and the Rabbit Ear Mountain landmark make the northeastern New Mexico destination for the outdoor traveler crossing the Texas-Colorado-New Mexico tristate corner. The dinosaur trackway within minutes and the dark sky designation that the Union County high plains produces at this specific geographic remove from urban light pollution define why Clayton, New Mexico is a destination campground stop rather than a simple overnight highway position. Full hookup sites with 30 and 50-amp electric, sewer, and water in large pull-through configurations accommodate big rigs, fifth-wheel combinations, and the horse trailer setups that the equestrian guest population brings to a campground with on-property horse stalls. A shower house with handicap access provides the hygiene infrastructure. Free WiFi handles the connectivity need. Horse stalls on the property serve the equestrian traveler who needs overnight accommodation for horses at a Union County address that places the horse stalls within a reasonable drive of the Clayton area's hunting, trail riding, and rodeo circuit. A pet area and dog park accommodate the traveling canine. Clayton's Ranch Market—the local grocery store described by the park as "just around the corner"—provides the resupply convenience that the rural Union County location would otherwise make an inconvenient chore. Clayton Lake State Park—accessible from the campground within minutes—contains the most extensive accessible dinosaur trackway in New Mexico: over 500 individual tracks left approximately 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period when northeastern New Mexico was the shoreline of the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow inland ocean that divided North America from north to south. The tracks—representing multiple species of theropod, ornithopod, and sauropod dinosaurs—are preserved in the Morrison Formation sandstone exposed at the lake's edge, with an interpretive trail and viewing platforms that make the trackway self-guiding for independent visitors. Clayton Lake State Park also holds New Mexico's first International Dark Sky Park designation, awarded in 2010 by the International Dark Sky Association with a Gold-level certification—the IDA's highest rating—earned by the absence of significant artificial light within Union County's sparsely populated high plains. The park's observatory, equipped with a 14-inch Mead telescope operated by volunteer astronomers on Thursday through Saturday evenings from March through November, provides the public stargazing program that the dark sky certification makes possible. Coyote Keeth's RV Park is open year-round in Union County's four-season high-plains climate. The dinosaur trackway and observatory are the year-round anchors; fall hunting season for mule deer and pronghorn antelope in the surrounding Kiowa National Grassland brings the November hunting camp population. Reserve the pull-through early for elk season, plan the evening at the Clayton Lake observatory on a new-moon weekend, and let the Cretaceous trackway and the Gold-certified dark sky earn the northeastern New Mexico experience that the high-plains volcanic landscape makes genuinely singular.

from $25/night

Sandhill RV Park

from $50/night

Bobcat Creek RV Park, LLC

18 RV Sites

Located in Sayre, Oklahoma, at the intersection of I-40 and U.S. Route 283 in Beckham County, Bobcat Creek RV Park occupies a well-positioned stop along one of the main east-west corridors through western Oklahoma—offering travelers heading toward the Texas Panhandle or continuing west to Amarillo a clean, full-service overnight option with practical amenities and a few distinctive perks that set it apart from standard highway-adjacent campgrounds. The park functions equally well as an overnight waypoint and a multi-night destination for guests with plans in the Sayre area or surrounding Beckham County. Full 30- and 50-amp hookup sites are spread across the property alongside walking trails and shaded picnic tables, giving guests comfortable spaces to stretch out after a long day on the highway. The park store carries gas and diesel, and an on-site propane fill station removes the need to search for fuel services off the interstate. A newer pet play area accommodates guests traveling with dogs, and one of the campground's most memorable offerings—delivery of Genuine Broaster Chicken directly to your site—provides a distinctive convenience food option that long-haul RV travelers in particular tend to appreciate after a full day on the road. Western Oklahoma's landscape along the I-40 corridor is defined by rolling shortgrass prairie and the red-clay drainages of the Washita River watershed, giving the area around Sayre a spare, wide-horizon character well suited to guests who appreciate the open-plains aesthetic of the southern Great Plains. The sky around Bobcat Creek—largely unobstructed by tree cover or significant topography—produces expansive sunsets across a full western horizon, and the low light pollution in Sayre's vicinity makes the night sky a genuine attraction for guests who stay long enough to watch darkness settle in across the surrounding countryside. Sayre City Park is an accessible local stop for a midday walk or a relaxed picnic, and Rogers Mills Lake a short drive north provides fishing and boating for anglers pursuing bass and catfish. The Beckham County Courthouse in Sayre's downtown carries literary significance as a location referenced in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, offering a worthwhile stop for guests interested in the cultural and historical landscape of Route 66 country. Foss State Park, approximately 45 minutes east, adds hiking, camping, and swimming on Foss Reservoir for guests extending their Oklahoma stay beyond Sayre. Bobcat Creek RV Park is open year-round, with spring and fall offering the most comfortable temperatures for outdoor activity along this stretch of western Oklahoma. Summer heat on the southern plains can be intense through July and August, but the campground's electrical hookups supporting air conditioning make warm-weather stays manageable. The park's position directly off I-40 makes arrivals logistically simple at any hour, and the park store's fuel availability simplifies the practical logistics of continuing westward the following morning. The campground's combination of highway convenience and genuine western Oklahoma landscape character makes it a more memorable stop than most I-40 travelers expect to find in this part of the state.

from $54/night