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Four Corners Monument
There is only one place in the United States where you can be standing in four states at the same time — Four Corners Monument.
A monument shows where the states of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado join.
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Located about 40 miles southeast of Monticello, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico come together in one place.
The area around the monument is one of the most sparsely populated regions of the country, and seldom do tourists make the long drive simply to be in four states at once.
Within a few hours drive of the monument, however, are some of the more interesting landmarks to be found anywhere. Combined, a visit to Four Corners and the nearby wonders of nature makes for a good one-day or two-day excursion.
About an hour's drive west of Four Corners Monument is one of the state's most recognized regions, Monument Valley. Several movies and television commercials have been filmed among the free-standing red rock spires of Monument Valley.
The dusty and barren land is part of the Navajo reservation. The Navajo is the largest Native American tribe in the United States. Tribe members sell their traditional wares to tourists, who travel a 14-mile loop road to view the valley's major chimney-like rock formations.
About 30 miles east of Monument Valley is Valley of the Gods, an area of erosional features along the San Juan River. Valley of the Gods is basically a smaller version of Monument Valley.
Standing up like a few remaining figures in a well-played chess game are solid-rock buttes rising up from the valley floor. Time and weather have sculptured the rock into familiar forms.
At Valley of the Gods there are none of the amenities associated with a discovered natural wonder. At a leisurely pace it takes about an hour to drive a 17-mile backcountry dirt road.
Two state parks up near Monticello offer tourists a place to picnic and camp while viewing more of the Four Corners region. Four miles west of Mexican Hat is Goosenecks State Park, where the San Juan River meanders back and forth through deep gorges to travel five miles toward the Colorado River and Lake Powell. Primitive camping is available at the Goosenecks campground.
Near Blanding is Edge of the Cedars State Park, a preserved ancient Puebloan Indian Village. The park has a museum that displays a collection of Anasazi pottery and other cultural materials. There is no camping at Edge of the Cedars, only picnic facilities.
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