The Four Corners Monument had been on my list of places I had wanted to visit for a long time. It is the only place in the United States where four states (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado) meet. Despite it literally being in the middle of nowhere, we were able to visit on our recent road trip.

However if you read some reviews online from people after they have visited the Four Corners Monument, you will find a lot of “tourist trap”, “not worth it” and “waste of time” comments. But I love random places like this around the world (I find them fascinating) so these comments did not put me off one bit and I visited with a completely open mind.

As we were staying in Kayenta, Arizona close to Monument Valley the night before our visit, we woke up early to be on the road so we could be at the Four Corners Monument for when it opened that day at 8:00am. The reason for getting there early was that we wanted to be able to get our photos without any people in them and we knew that there could be a long line of people waiting to get “that shot” had we left it any later in the day.

We left our hotel at 6:45am and was treated to a beautiful sunrise close to Monument Valley before driving 78 miles to the Four Corners Monument near the town of Teec Nos Pos and we arrived at the gate at 8:00am. If you need to use Google Maps for directions, make sure to load them using your hotel wifi before you leave as we did not have any mobile signal for over twenty four hours from when we left Tuba City the previous day until we reached Moab in Utah later that afternoon.

There was a long line of cars when we reached the gate which was unexpected as we barely saw another car on our drive there and I was a little worried about having to line up to get our photos but all of the cars apart from two others turned out to be the local Navajo vendors that sell arts and crafts there.

As you turn into the entrance of the Four Corners Monument, you will see what was once a New Mexico state sign. Unfortunately it has been vandalised and destroyed by pathetic idiots with stupid stickers beyond recognition. However if you’re like me and take photos of all the different state signs, there is another New Mexico state sign (that has not been vandalised) ten miles away on the US-64 past Teec Nos Pos.

Entrance to the Four Corners Monument is US$5 per person and children under six are admitted free of charge. I had read that only cash was accepted (which is what we used) however I did see credit card signs at the entrance booth but I would recommend taking cash with you just in case the machines do not work. As the Four Corners Monument is on Navajo land and not a “National Monument”, you cannot use any of the National Parks passes here.

Update June 2022 – The entrance fee to visit the Four Corners Monument is now $8 per person and only credit cards (no cash) are accepted for payment at the gate.

After we parked our car and seeing how quiet it was, I knew that getting up early, driving for over an hour and arriving for opening time had been completely worth it. We stood back whilst the other two groups of people took their photos on the marker before we took ours. When it is busy, there is a sign to say there is a limit to three photos only but when you visit this early in the day with no one else around, we could all take as many photos we wanted (without anyone else in them) as well as help take photos of each other.

The photo you have to take at the Four Corners Monument is the one where you have each arm and leg in a different state – you can see what my photo turned out like on my Instagram.

So is the Four Corners Monument worth visiting? The reality is it’s nothing more than a small plaque on the ground miles from anywhere but if you’re in the area and have the time, then it is a cool photo stop along with the achievement of being able to say that you’ve stood in four different states at the same time that only costs $5 each. If you go expecting anything more, then you will be sorely disappointed.

We drove just over two hours round trip (and the scenery during the drive was beautiful) to spend just over twenty minutes there but I am happy to say that I have visited. As it was so quiet and just out of peak season when we were there, it made that short time we spent there very sane and enjoyable and we got some great photos – I cannot even begin to imagine it crowded and in the heat of summer.

So my advice is if you’re staying in the area (such as Monument Valley) and love random roadside attractions, then definitely do a quick side trip to the Four Corners Monument but do not make a long trip just to see it and nothing else as it is not worth it. It is something you only need to do once and I was so happy we were able to fit it into our plans easily without affecting any of our other plans during our trip.

Since this blog post was written back in 2019, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

Support Me and Buy Me a Coffee
Pin this Blog Post on Pinterest
Follow Me on Instagram
Follow Me on Bloglovin’