During the fishing season from April to October, the lake is a popular spot for anglers hoping to catch trout, catfish, bass and walleye. The area is also a popular spot for waterfowl. Mallards, pintails and teals frequent the lake and Canada geese and bald eagles are often seen here. The park offers camping and picnicking facilities, a group shelter and a modern comfort station. On the dam spillway at Clayton State Park, at the end of a gentle .5 mile trail, are ancient dinosaur tracks.
Locals advise that the best times to view the tracks are in the morning and late afternoon.
A sheltered gazebo and boardwalk are placed along the trackway, with extensive information about the dinosaurs who lived here so long ago. More than 100 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed this area, leaving traces of their presence that are still evident today. This part of New Mexico was on the western shore of a vast seaway extending from today's Gulf of Mexico to Canada. Days were warm and humid, and the fragrance of flowers spread across the landscape. Dinosaurs crossing the muddy shoreline left footprints, much like animals leave their tracks around watering holes today.