From 1540 to 1542, decades before European colonies were established on the Atlantic side of the Americas, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led an expedition from Mexico, where he was governor of New Galicia, north through what is now Arizona, New Mexico, and across the plains of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The expedition’ s search for the fabled“ Seven Cities of Gold” proved to be a failure, and Coronado returned to Mexico in disgrace.
Coronado’ s path through Arizona went due north through the eastern part of the state, climbing into the White Mountains that are part of the vast Colorado Plateau. His expedition followed Native American footpaths, which later became horse paths and wagon trails used by hunters, outlaws, pioneers, and prospectors. Today, the route is largely paved, and 120 miles of it are preserved as the Coronado Trail National Scenic Byway, twisting and turning from the mining town of Clifton in the south to the high- desert town of Eagar in the north.
My faithful riding companion Eric Birns and I arrived in Arizona from the east, having spent the previous week riding from California to Texas to witness the April 2024 total solar eclipse, then exploring
U. S. 191 WAS ONCE DESIGNATED U. S. ROUTE 666( THE SIXTH SPUR OFF U. S. 66) AND EARNED THE NICKNAME“ DEVIL’ S HIGHWAY.”
Texas’ Hill Country and the Big Bend region. We entered Arizona on State Route 78, winding our way through the southern end of the Apache- Sitgreaves National Forest and cresting a craggy ridge at 6,102- foot Needle’ s Eye, then descending 2,500 feet over the next 13 miles on a freshly paved dream coaster to Three Way, where U. S. Route 191 and State Routes 75 and 78 meet.
U. S. 191, which runs from the Mexican border to the Utah state line and includes the Coronado Trail, was once designated U. S. Route 666( the sixth spur off U. S. 66) and earned the nickname“ Devil’ s Highway.” Pushback from religious folks, not to mention a propensity for knuckleheads to steal the 666 highway signs, led officials to renumber it as 191( yawn).
Eric and I overnighted in Safford at a cheapo Motel 6 within walking distance of JD’ s Grill House, where we refreshed our road- weary old bodies with frosty ales and high- calorie pub grub. Up and at’ em early the next day, fortified with lousy coffee and stale protein bars, we fired up our big Harley Glides and made our way back to U. S. 191.
Opposite page: A sampling of the fun, challenging curves on the Coronado Trail, with the Morenci Mine in the distance. This page: Even on a beautiful Saturday in April, we had the road to ourselves.
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