The Six Corners of Utah (Part 1)

Utah is one of three states in the United States whose boundaries are determined entirely by latitude and longitude.  With the creation of Utah Territory back in 1850, it stretched from the continental divide in the east to the present-day California-Nevada border in the west, and from the 42nd parallel of latitude in the north to the 37th parallel of latitude in the south.  By 1868, Utah Territory had been whittled down to its present-day size by the creation of Colorado, Nevada, and Wyoming Territories.  It is interesting to note that back in the early history of the United States; many territorial boundaries were determined by meridians east and/or west of Washington DC – not from Greenwich, England.

Four Corners (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, & Utah)

The Four Corners monument was the first of Utah’s six corners that I visited back when I was a child on a family vacation.  It is the easiest of the six corners to reach by motor vehicle on paved roads.  Today the Four Corners area is managed by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department, which is part of the Navajo Nation.  Be prepared to pay $3.00 per person to access the Four Corners monument.  There are lots of shops in the area that sell local homemade craft items.

Metal cap marking the junction of
Utah, Colorado, Arizona, & New Mexico

The Southwest Corner of Wyoming (Utah & Wyoming)

The monument marking the southwest corner of Wyoming was the second of Utah’s six corners I visited.  Other than Four Corners, this is the only state corner I have visited more than once.  It is located next to a graded road near an energy plant in the Chalk Creek drainage.  All motorized vehicles can access this monument in dry conditions.  From I-80, take the Coalville exit and then turn east on the road that heads up the Chalk Creek drainage.

A sandstone pillar marks the
southwest corner of Wyoming

Three Corners (Colorado, Utah, & Wyoming)

The tri-state corner of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming is the highest of Utah’s six corners at 8,402 feet elevation.  It is located at the end of a primitive dirt road that’s best accessed by high-clearance vehicles in dry conditions.  I visited this monument back in 1984 when we lived in Wyoming.  Since I didn’t have a high-clearance vehicle then, I had to park over a mile away and hike to this location.  Three flag poles (one in each state) have been erected next to this monument by the Bureau of Land Management.  An erected sign in the Utah sector gives a detailed description of the monument.

View of the Colorado, Utah, &

Wyoming monument area

The point of intersection between
Colorado, Utah, & Wyoming