The Coronado Trail: 120 Miles, 460 Curves, Almost Nobody Else

US 191. Forest Highway 19. Arizona Route 81. US 666, the Devil's Highway. One road, four names, and the name it wears now belongs to a Spanish expedition that came through in 1540 hunting seven cities of gold and found none of them.

The Coronado Trail runs 120 miles between Clifton and Springerville in eastern Arizona, and ADOT counts 460 curves in that distance. Three hours if you drive it straight through, which nobody does. You start in high desert beside one of the largest open-pit copper mines on the planet, burrow through a rock tunnel, and finish in fir, pine, and aspen at 9,000 feet.

Here's the part the photos don't tell you. The reason to drive it isn't the scenery. It's how few people are on it.

Know before you go

The Coronado Trail is free: a public highway through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests with no entrance station, no permit, and no reservation of any kind. Budget four to five hours between Clifton and Springerville with stops, and fuel up at whichever end you start from, because the middle has essentially no services. ADOT does not put US 191 on its seasonal winter closure list the way it does SR 67 to the Grand Canyon North Rim or SR 261 and SR 273 in the White Mountains, so the road stays open through winter, though snow can close it temporarily. Check AZ511.gov the morning you drive it, and aim for late September through October if you want aspens.

Do you need a permit or a reservation for the Coronado Trail?

No. Not for any of it. This is one of the rare Arizona bucket-list drives with zero paperwork attached, which after a summer of timed entry and permit lotteries feels like a small act of mercy. You point the car at it and go.

What you do need is a plan for fuel and daylight. Fill the tank in Clifton or Morenci heading north, in Springerville or Eagar heading south. There's no gas in the middle and cell service out there is a rumor, so download your maps first. Don't start at 4 p.m. thinking you'll be through by dark, either. The curves are slow, you'll stop more than you planned, and driving it dark means missing the point while sharing the road with elk.

One thing is worth booking ahead: Hannagan Meadow Lodge, on the highway about 22 miles south of Alpine, taking guests since the road was dedicated in 1926. It's the only lodging directly on the byway. Guided tours of the working mine in Morenci run on a limited schedule and need an advance reservation.

What is the drive actually like?

Southbound and northbound are two different roads. Going north from Clifton you climb out of copper country past the Morenci open pit, a hole so large it reorganizes your sense of scale, and the vegetation changes about every fifteen minutes. Going south you drop out of the meadows and aspens and watch the forest thin into juniper, then into desert.

The stop everyone remembers is Blue Vista, on the edge of the Mogollon Rim. The Forest Service describes the view south as taking in the Blue Range Primitive Area and the Sky Island ranges beyond, and on a clear day that is not an exaggeration. It's day use only, no camping, with vault toilets and no drinking water, so bring your own.

Hannagan Meadow is the other one. Big open grass at around 9,000 feet ringed by spruce and fir, the kind of place where you pull over to stretch your legs and lose forty minutes. This is also the heart of the Blue Range, where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released Mexican gray wolves back into the wild in 1998 after more than thirty years of absence. The population has grown steadily since. You almost certainly won't see one. Knowing they're out there changes the quality of the quiet anyway.

Can I do this with a dog?

Yes, and it's one of the better dog road trips in the state. National forest rules are looser than national park rules: dogs are allowed on trails and in the backcountry here, leashed at developed sites like campgrounds and overlooks. Altitude does the work on temperature, so the heat problem that wrecks a summer desert hike mostly disappears above 8,000 feet.

The real hazard is the road. Curvy highways are rough on dogs prone to car sickness, and 460 turns is a lot of turns. Stop often, keep water in the car, and leash up the second the door opens. Elk, open-range cattle, and the occasional black bear all live along this corridor.

Bringing kids?

Be honest about motion sickness. A kid who gets queasy on switchbacks will have a miserable three hours and so will you. If that's your situation, drive it in halves with a night in Alpine in between.

For kids who travel well this is a great one. The Morenci mine overlook is jaw-dropping to a seven-year-old, Blue Vista has a real bathroom, and Hannagan Meadow is a place to run around.

Stay safe out here

Three things get people on this road. Overdriving the curves, especially on a motorcycle or in something low and fast, since many stretches have no shoulder and no guardrail. Weather, because at 9,000 feet a September afternoon can turn into hail and winter brings ice that ADOT clears but can't clear instantly. And assuming somebody will come along. Traffic is scarce out here, which is the charm and also the risk, so carry water, warm layers, and a way to get through a night in the car.

Skip the long trailer. The road is steep and narrow with tight-radius turns, and rigs over roughly 20 feet aren't recommended up high. Check current fire restrictions and closure orders on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests site before planning campfires or camping.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive the Coronado Trail?
ADOT puts the straight-through drive at about three hours for the 120 miles between Clifton and Springerville. In practice, plan four to five hours so you can stop at Blue Vista, the Morenci mine overlook, and Hannagan Meadow. The average speed is low because of the 460 curves, not because of traffic.

Is the Coronado Trail open in winter?
Yes. US 191 does not appear on ADOT's annual list of seasonal high-country closures, unlike SR 67, SR 261, SR 273 and SR 366. It stays open year-round, but the section above 8,000 feet gets real snow and can close temporarily during storms. Check AZ511.gov or call 511 before you go in winter.

Are there gas stations on the Coronado Trail?
Not in the middle of it. Fuel is available at the ends in Clifton, Morenci, Alpine, Eagar and Springerville. Fill up before you start the drive and don't plan on finding a pump between the towns. Cell service is unreliable along most of the route, so download offline maps too.

Why was US 191 called the Devil's Highway?
The route was numbered US 666 in the late 1930s, which earned it the Devil's Highway nickname among locals. It was renumbered as US 191 in 1992. The road was originally dedicated in 1926 as Forest Highway 19 at a two-day celebration at Hannagan Meadow, and was not fully paved until October 1962.

Put it on the map

The Coronado Trail is one of the 60 destinations on the McSenderson Arizona Outdoor Adventure Map, and it's one of the stops people are most surprised by. Scratch it off after you've driven it, then see what's left in the full 60-stop Arizona bucket list.

The byway shares a name with Coronado National Memorial down on the border, where that same 1540 expedition entered what is now Arizona. For another high, cool, under-visited corner of the state, Chiricahua National Monument is the closest thing to a companion trip.

Ryan Laboy — Co-founder, McSenderson. Single-digit handicap golfer and ten-year skier based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Researches and designs every McSenderson map. hello@mcsenderson.com