The northeastern part of New Mexico is one of the lesser known regions of our state. Yet it was the first part of New Mexico to be annexed by the U.S.A. That far corner of the state above the Canadian River was actually part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. That’s a full generation before Stephen Kearny planted the Stars and Stripes in Santa Fe plaza.
It is indeed remote from Albuquerque. However, let me give you a few reasons to spend some time exploring this far country north of the Canadian River.
Capulin National Monument. There are over 100 volcanoes between Raton and Clayton along highway 64/87. Capulin Volcano is not the biggest, but it is spectacular. It is the youngest volcano in the region, being only 60,000 years old, and is supposedly the most perfectly formed cinder cone volcano in North America. A good road winds around its steep sides to a parking lot located on a low point of the rim.
A short trail descends into the center of the volcano. There is also a one-mile trail that circles the rim. Both are paved. The rim trail has some steep inclines, but the views from the 8,182-foot summit are well worth the effort.
Dinosaur Tracks. In 1982, a flood washed away the top layer of silt from the spillway at Clayton Lake State Park. What it exposed was a massive dinosaur tracksite with over 500 footprints preserved in the revealed sandstone. Dating from about 100 million years ago, it is considered one of the best preserved and most extensive tracksites in the United States. A walkway lets the visitor get up close and personal. The park also features camping, fishing and birdwatching.
Clayton’s Hotel Eklund. If October camping on the high plains is not your cup of tea, you might want to consider staying at the Hotel Eklund. This three-story stone structure has been completely remodeled, but still retains all the Victorian charm of its turn of the century construction. Downstairs contains a comfortable lobby, a nice restaurant, and a saloon. The saloon’s 
huge bar was apparently won in a poker game somewhere and installed here by owner Carl Eklund in 1894. The two bullet holes in the tin ceiling are a souvenir of President Harding’s 1920 election.
Other local attractions include a fine local museum and the grave of outlaw Black Jack Ketchum
Jon Knudsen is a freelance writer and occasional guest on "New Mexico In Focus" (PBS). Email him at