Popular Four Corners close to national parks
Q. My husband and three children are taking a drive out West next summer and would like to see an area called Four Corners. Can you tell me where it is and anything you know about it? Also we would like to explore the surrounding area. Anything you can tell me about getting info and maps would be appreciated. Thank you.
A. Four Corners is a popular site for tourists (more than 2,000 a day in season), plus it's a fun place, especially for children. The location is where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet, and it's the only spot in the United States where you can put your finger on four states at once.
You also can do as my kids did a number of years ago. They put each foot in a state, then bent over and put a hand in the remaining two states, a pose that we dutifully recorded on film.
When we were there, a concrete slab, the original marker placed there in 1912, marked the spot. The site was refurbished in 1992 with a bronze disc embedded in granite. Each of the state boundaries radiate from the disc, and each state's seal rests within that state's boundary. The site is managed by the Navajo Nation.
A small visitor's center features a demonstration area with Native American artisans at work. Vendors sell handmade jewelry, crafts and traditional foods in booths nearby. The marker itself is in a very remote area (the nearest village is the tiny community of Teec Nos Pos, Ariz., with one gas station). The closest town, Shiprock, N.M., is about 35 miles away.
The average stay at the site is about 10 to 15 minutes. However, you'll find five national parks and 18 national monuments within a radius of 150 miles from this point, such places as Monument Valley, the Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde and Hovenweep.
My suggestion would be to check out the accommodations at Monument Valley or Bluff, Utah. Monument Valley Visitors Center is worth a visit of about two hours or so to see the exhibits and photographs, followed by engaging a Navajo guide to take you on a tour of the valley.
There is a small admission charge to the area. Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. June through September and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through May.
Information is available at utah.com/playgrounds and utahscanyoncountry.com or by calling (800) 574-4386.
Gail Todd, a free-lance writer,worked as a flight attendant for more than 30years. She can be reached via e-mail at gailtodd@aol.com.