Plenty To See and Do In The Four Corners

Above, Ouray, Colorado. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The nice thing about living in northwestern New Mexico is that I am within a half day's drive to attractions in the Four Corners region of the U.S.

What is the Four Corners?

According to Wikipedia:

The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area is named after the quadripoint at the intersection of approximately 37° north latitude with 109° 03' west longitude, where the boundaries of the four states meet, and are marked by the Four Corners Monument. It is the only location in the United States where four states meet. Most of the Four Corners region belongs to semi-autonomous Native American nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute, and Zuni tribal reserves and nations. The Four Corners region is part of a larger region known as the Colorado Plateau and is mostly rural, rugged, and arid. In addition to the monument, commonly visited areas within Four Corners include Monument Valley, Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Canyon, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The most populous city in the Four Corners region is Farmington, New Mexico, followed by Durango, Colorado.

Above, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

North of where I live (near Gallup, New Mexico) is Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. There's plenty of recreational opportunities in that area such as hiking, fishing, rafting, camping, Jeep driving, Mesa Verde National Park and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, just to name a few. There's also plenty of good restaurants to enjoy.

Above, the True Grit Cafe in Ridgway. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A bit more to the west in Utah and Arizona, there's the Four Corners Monument and Monument Valley. Monument Valley, a Navajo tribal park, is best known for location filming of several John Wayne/John Ford classic westerns.  A little further on west is Grand Canyon National Park, about a three-hour drive from Monument Valley.

Above, the right and left Mittens at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A friend and I took a vacation up into Colorado last year and along with Durango, Silverton and Ouray, we visited Ridgway, the location of True Grit (1969) starring John Wayne and Mesa Verde National Park. 

Above, Mesa Verde National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one hasn't visited the Four Corners region, I recommend putting it on one's vacation bucket list.