It’s the late 1800s, and a lone sandstone shaft is hammered into the soil in the middle of a windy and dusty desert plain. Onlookers cheer and celebrate. The reason? Surveyors have finally officially marked the intersection of four of the most scenic states in America, albeit with a small shaft that would soon be dilapidated and replaced in just a couple decades. Originally built in 1912, Four Corners Monument is located at the intersection of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah and is the only place in the United States where you can strike a pose with each of your limbs in four different states.
Photo by Steve Masters
Located on the Colorado Plateau forty miles southwest of Cortez, Colorado, this interesting location captures not only the corner points of four US states but also the boundaries between the Navajo Nation government and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation. Throughout the past few centuries, different civilizations and nations have claimed ownership of these lands. The Four Corners region was originally owned by a collection of Native American tribes, only to be claimed by Spain in the 1500s, and then roughly three hundred years later by Mexico, after winning its own independence from Spain in 1821. Mexico then controlled the Four Corners area for twenty-seven years before ceding jurisdiction to the United States in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War in 1848.
There is one caveat about this place, however. When the early boundaries were established after the Civil War, the meridian and parallel lines were surveyed, marked, and legally recorded in the regional registries, but, over time, it became clear that the original surveying tools were flawed, making the boundaries of the Four Corners less-than-precise. Consequently modern day geographers have correctly observed that the actual quadripoint location between the four states is anywhere from 2.5 miles to 1,807 feet away from the present monument, though the latter figure appears to be correct.
Don’t let that fact dampen your enthusiasm for this attraction, however, because the original surveys of the Four Corners location are recognized to this day as the proper legal boundaries between Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. In other words, when you come to the monument and place four limbs on each corner of the four states, you are truly occupying, according to the law, all four states at one time. It’s a little odd and confusing, but most visitors probably feel better knowing that they’re not going out of their way to stretch into a funky pose on some arbitrarily marked-up plot of land in the middle of the desert with no geographical significance.
There are restrooms at Four Corners, but no other food or lodging facilities. And the nearest stop for gas is close to thirty miles away, so be sure to keep an eye on your gas tank as you travel through the area.
Tip
• The monument only takes cash. Also, upon visiting, you’ll see Navajo vendors selling their jewelry, crafts, and even Navajo food. So bring extra cash if you’re interested in purchasing any of these items.
- Admission: $5 fee
- Hours: Open 8 a.m. to 5–8 p.m., depending on the season.
- Pets: Not allowed