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greg121's avatar
greg121
Explorer
Feb 02, 2014

4 Corners US491 / US191?

Planning our spring travels - headed to Monument Valley from New Mexico. Any particular reason for preferring US191 in Arizona or US491 New Mexico?

Other than Canyon de Chelly being on 191 of course but we did that a few years back pre-rv (so I wasn't paying attention to what it would like with an RV).
  • From DFW area we took 550 from Albuquerque to Farmington. A real nice drive in a MH and buy gas just as you leave I-25 on 550, as it is much less than 50 miles up the road. If near Aztec, go see the ruins and if you a real adventurist, go see Chaco Canyon. Only on 491 north of Shiprock and it is a good road.
  • A good bit of 491 between Gallup and Shiprock is 4-lane highway, mostly a straight shot. 191 is a bit more twisty, but still an easy drive, and a bit more scenic IMHO. Off 191, coming from the east, you'll be back-tracking a little to get to Highway 160 and 4-corners monument, if that's on your itinerary.
  • No real advantage with either route from I-40 as they are both decent roads, for me it would depend on what I have planned before or after Monument Valley.
  • This is a fairly weak reason, but if you want to stand on the marker where the four corners meet, you can have your picture taken standing in four states at the same time. You can take US 160 east from US 191, or US 64 west from US 491 at Shiprock, NM. About 35 miles from either 191 or 64.
    I did it for an even weaker reason. Tony Hillerman was a novelist that set his Native American mystery stories in the area around Shiprock and a Navajo Policeman named Jim Chee. Alas, Mr. Hillerman passed away in 2008, so no more brain candy for me.
  • Jim Shoe wrote:
    This is a fairly weak reason, but if you want to stand on the marker where the four corners meet, you can have your picture taken standing in four states at the same time. You can take US 160 east from US 191, or US 64 west from US 491 at Shiprock, NM. About 35 miles from either 191 or 64.
    I did it for an even weaker reason. Tony Hillerman was a novelist that set his Native American mystery stories in the area around Shiprock and a Navajo Policeman named Jim Chee. Alas, Mr. Hillerman passed away in 2008, so no more brain candy for me.


    love hillerman and have all his novels. re read them every 3 or 4 years.

    traveled there for the very same weak reason as you:W
  • Jim Shoe wrote:
    Tony Hillerman was a novelist that set his Native American mystery stories in the area around Shiprock and a Navajo Policeman named Jim Chee. Alas, Mr. Hillerman passed away in 2008, so no more brain candy for me.

    I know this is off-topic, but Tony Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, has written a novel, Spider Woman's Daughter, based on the main characters, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Worth a read.
  • Glad to meet other Tony Hillerman readers. The man had a talent for dragging the reader right into the desert SW and the homes, beliefs and religion of the Navaho people. I will hunt down Anne Hillerman's novel. Thanks for the tip.
  • BTW..The companion book for Hillerman's locations was available at Teec-Nos-Pos. Called Tony Hillerman's Landscarpe-On the road with Chee & Leaphorn.