Four corners monument - what else to do/worth the trip?
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Anonymous
| We're going to Telluride later this month, and have a little extra time. Was thinking of driving out to the Four Corners monument but trying to build in a few other things to make the drive worth it! I hear there are some cool spots along the way with Native American cave paintings. Anyone done this that can recommend worthwhile spots to visit? |
Anonymous
| Sorry I can’t be more helpful but I’m in my 40s and my parents took us there on a road trip across America. Early 1990s. I remember thinking it was cool to have a body part on every state. And some Native American woman had a stand selling the best Indian fry bread I’d ever eaten. Just a good memory from my 11/12 year old self. |
Anonymous
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Why would you go there? I don't mean to be rude, but I'm guessing you haven't fully researched what this is. It's extremely lame and not worth your time unless you happen to be passing by.
Plus -- the 'monument' isn't even on the state lines. Additionally, it's $8 pp! That can really add up if you're traveling with a family. It's a mark on the ground, that's it. There's some tribe members selling trinkets. No way is that worth a 2.5 hour one way drive from Telluride! |
Anonymous
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I went 2 years ago and it really is in the middle of nowhere. My son really wanted to go, so we made a big vacation out of it. Flew into Denver, rented a car, went up to Wyoming, then did Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and into Utah to fly out of Salt Lake,
The monument is in the middle of nowhere, a few hours from the nearest anything. You will need a full tank of gas, lots of food and water, and just realize that the only point is to wait for your turn to take your photo at the 4 corners circle. They have a retail area where native people sell their crafts, and there was a structure that looked like it sold food but it wasn't open. So we were SOL about getting food. We ended up driving into Utah afterwards on our way to Moab and stopping at an Indian reservation for food (was super cool), I feel like it is kind of like Rushmore, you can do it in 30 minutes, so just minimize your expectations. I have zero regrets about going. My son was thrilled. |
Anonymous
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To answer your question-
Mesa Verde or any of the other ancient puebloan sites Horseback ride outside Durango Arches/Canyonlands/Moab There are lots of things that are much more interesting than the four corners monument |
Anonymous
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Mesa Verde.
Do NOT drive the million dollar highway if you’re not comfortable with winding mountain roads with no guardrails. Especially in the winter. We did 4 corners a few years ago but we were road tripping from Phoenix to Colorado Springs. I wouldn’t make it a special trip from Telluride unless you’ve got a kid who is obsessed with it for some reason. |
Anonymous
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Mesa Verde National Park is closer and much more interesting. Here's their winter page
https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/winter-activities.htm |
Anonymous
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We were on that area last summer and decided to skip it, based on Trip Advisor reviews. There's lot to do in Ouray if you want to go there for a day: the hot springs pool, ice climbing, hiking up to the waterfall (might need spikes in winter) , Box Canyon. Also I recommend visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison (again, we were there in summer so you would have to investigate a winter visit.) There's a wacky museum in Gunnison, basically this guy that collected stuff his whole life. Weird but different.
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Anonymous
We stayed in Telluride in the summer and stopped at the Four Corners Monument on the way to Monument Valley. However, that’s a long round trip in the summer and I’m not sure I’d want to try it in the winter. The drive down the mountain from Telluride can be long trek in the winter, not to mention the chance that the weather will deteriorate while you’re gone and they’ll close the pass. Mesa Verde is closer and one of my favorite parks, but there isn’t that much to see in the winter, and it’s possible that the roads will be closed for snow. There are quite a few other sites for ancient dwellings in the area, but I do not think they would be very accessible in the winter time, either. The Canyons of the Ancients Visitors Center in Dolores is worth a visit and they would have the best info on what can be seen in the winter. If you’re driving to Telluride from Durango, you could stop there on the way up and see what they advise. https://www.blm.gov/learn/interpretive-centers/CANM-visitor-center-museum |
Anonymous
I was 10 and remember this as well, mid-80s. I lay down in the middle, an arm and a leg each in different states. Currently mid-50s. |
Anonymous
I don’t disagree with you but my kids absolutely love this place. |
Anonymous
| OP here. To be clear, I think it's insane. I'd rather just go straight to Telluride and relax. My husband mentioned it to our kids (13, 11 and 8) and they think it sounds cool. I did a bit of research to see if we could make other stops to make it worth it, and found the Pueblo sites, which seem sorta cool? Again, not worth the 5 hour round trip IMHO, but trying to make the best of it if the rest of the family insists! |
Anonymous
+1 I would drive the loop through Ouray, Silverton, Durango, etc. Assuming you are comfortable with mountain driving (steep drop offs, two lane roads, and no there are not guardrails the whole way). There is also a narrow gauge railroad between Durango and Silverton that is a unique experience and goes where cars cannot. Or arches/Moab is also great. 4 corners is very boring. |
Anonymous
We went to that part of Colorado many times when I was a kid, and I took my own kids there a few years ago (in the summer). That loop drive is beautiful, but check the weather first, wouldn't want to do it in a snowstorm. The narrow gauge railroad is fun, and I bet gorgeous with snow on the mountains. Silverton is cute, but Ouray's my favorite town of those. I love Mesa Verde, but don't know how much of the cliff dwellings you can get to in the winter. In defense of 4 corners, it was one of the most memorable places I went to as a nerdy kid. So I made sure we took our own kids there. My son who's very into maps (and is now a geologist) LOVED it and didn't want to leave. There were lots of Navajo there selling goods out of their cars, and my younger DD played with and got into a conversation with a Navajo girl her age, who told DD she lived in her car. This really upset DD and taught her a lesson about Native Americans that she remembers to this day. |