The Four Corners Monument is a unique landmark that marks the point where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. If you have ever wanted to photograph yourself standing in four states at once, this is your travel destination!

Located in the Navajo Nation, this monument is surrounded by a small market run by tribal members, with various Native American crafts and souvenirs. This is a fun detour as part of an American Southwest road trip.

The Logistics

Getting to the Four Corners Monument

Finding the Four Corners Monument on a map is easy. Simply look for the point where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet.

Getting to this monument is much harder as it is located on a fairly remote spot along highway 160. There are no major airports convenient to the Four Corners; it’s best done as a small stop on a larger road trip.

We chose to include this monument as part of a very speedy Southwest road trip that started and ended in Phoenix:

• Day 1: Grand Canyon National Park (major sight)
• Day 2: Horseshoe Bend (slight detour)
• Day 2: Monument Valley (slight detour)
• Day 3: Mesa Verde National Park (major sight)
• Day 3: Four Corners Monument (slight detour)
• Day 4: Navajo Nation Museum (slight detour that turned into a travel fail due to an unexpected closure)
• Day 4: Petrified Forest National Park (slight detour)

Cost, Hours, and Services

When I was a kid, visiting the Four Corners Monument was free. That said, times have changed, they now charge $8/person to enter (for a carload full of kids, the value might be slightly marginal).

They also don’t accept any passes like the National Parks Pass, since the Four Corners Monument is owned by the Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation.

The hours vary by season, but you can expect it to open at 8:00am and close sometime between 4:45pm and 6:45pm. If there is a storm, the shops may close early. Closures are typically on Thanksgiving Day, New Mexico Family Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

There aren’t many services at the monument; we saw some porta-potties, and the souvenir shops, but we didn’t encounter gas or restaurants nearby.

Activities at the Four Corners Monument

The main activity at the Four Corners is to stand in line a few minutes, and get a photograph of your family without hoards of other tourists in your photos. People were doing various poses across the four states.

After that, you can explore the shops that surround the monument. My son found a Navajo Nation t-shirt that he loved, but there are plenty of options for jewelry and other Native American crafts. It has a bit of a flea market feel, but we found it to be fun!

There really isn’t much else to do, other than continue on to your next point of interest. Still – there is only one place where four US states join and it’s nice to take a quick stop here. Check off this bucket list item if you’re road-tripping near the Four Corners Monument!

Next Up: The Petrified Forest

Keep reading our travel blog for more road trip ideas!

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