Clayton, located in the Kiamichi River valley, is framed on its west by Flagpole Mountain (1,562 ft.) and to its east by unnamed mountains topping 1,600 feet in elevation. Within a few miles of Clayton is scenic McKinley Rocks, a collection of massive boulders strewn across a mountain top. South of Clayton is Clayton Lake State Park—which is surrounded by a pine tree forest—and northwest of town is Sardis Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam which impounds the water of Jack's Fork Creek. The Pushmataha Wildlife Refuge is also nearby, featuring scenic views from its mountain summit.