Coronado Trail (US 191) from Springerville

The Coronado Trail is US 191, the scenic road that runs south from Eagar and Springerville toward Clifton and Morenci through Alpine and Hannagan Meadow. Arizona Highways describes it as about 120 miles one way, about four hours of driving, and it was dedicated at Hannagan Meadow in 1926.

Checked Oct 22, 2026 · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check

The road

Arizona Highways describes a route of about 120 miles one way from Eagar and Springerville in the north to Clifton and Morenci in the south, taking about four hours, with Alpine, Hannagan Meadow and the Blue Vista rest stop along the way. It says the road opened in 1926 as Route 666 and is now US 191. An older Arizona Highways article (August 1963) says the last six miles were not surfaced until 1962. Wikipedia says the 666 number was extended into Arizona in 1938 and replaced by 191 in 1992; the sources differ on when the 666 number began, so we give both. Arizona Highways says the road follows the trail Coronado used in 1540, without citing evidence; see the legend card below for what we could and could not confirm.

Hannagan Meadow

The lodge’s own history page says the lodge dates to 1926 and that a two-day celebration on June 19, 1926 dedicated the highway at the meadow, with roughly 6,000 people including about 125 White Mountain Apache. Governor W. P. Hunt named the road the “Coronado Trail” in his speech there. Arizona Highways confirms the 1926 highway event and says the Forest Service gave a 1926 permit for a store, later joined by a service station, cabins, a restaurant and the lodge. The lodge is a working business: check its own site for hours and rooms.

Local Legend: Coronado’s Road to The Seven Cities of Gold

What is actually true: The road is real: its last link was dedicated in June 1926 as part of the first “Ocean to Ocean” highway (Route 666, now U.S. 191), and it was paved by 1962. Arizona Highways calls it the historic route of Coronado in 1540, but it states that without citing evidence, and we found no historical source that confirms his exact path, so treat it as a tradition. The “cities” were the Zuni towns of Cibola, which Coronado reached at Hawikuh; the golden cities came from an older folk tale that Arizona Highways retells, and none were found. Hawikuh was a Zuni town, so the story belongs to the Zuni first. Sources: Arizona Highways: Coronado Trail
Arizona Highways: The Coronado Trail (August 1963)
Arizona Highways: On the Trail of Spanish Gold (October 1979)
Arizona Highways: Legends of the Lost (the Cibola folk tale)
Wikipedia: Cibola

Local Legend: The Devil’s Highway: when the Coronado Trail was US 666

What is actually true: The road did carry the number 666. Wikipedia, citing the highway association’s minutes, says the extension of US 666 into Arizona was approved on December 4, 1938, replacing State Route 81, and, citing a Federal Highway Administration historian, that 666 simply marked the sixth branch of US 66 and was never meant as a biblical reference. The same article says the “number of the beast” association and constant theft of 666 signs led to the renumbering to US 191, which ADOT carried out on September 18, 1992. Arizona Highways says the road opened in 1926 as Route 666; the two sources differ on when the number began, and we did not resolve it. We print no curve count because we could not confirm one. Sources: Wikipedia: U.S. Route 191 in Arizona
Arizona Highways: Coronado Trail

Local Legend: The rancher tied to a tree at Hannagan Meadow

What is actually true: Hannagan Meadow Lodge’s own history page tells both versions as local legend, the bounced-check man tied to a tree, possibly for several nights, and the coin toss, and dates neither. The same page documents the real history: the lodge dates to 1926, and a two-day celebration on June 19, 1926 dedicated the Clifton-to-Springerville highway at the meadow, with roughly 6,000 people including about 125 White Mountain Apache; Governor W. P. Hunt named it the “Coronado Trail” in his speech. Arizona Highways confirms the 1926 highway event but tells neither name story, so both tales rest on the lodge alone. Sources: Hannagan Meadow Lodge: History of the lodge
Arizona Highways: Hannagan Meadow Lodge

Local Legend: Is John Wayne’s name behind the fireplace?

What is actually true: The lodge’s history page says some old-timers in Alpine claim his signature is behind the sitting-room mantel, and that a carved mantel now covers the wall, so the claim cannot be checked. Arizona Highways independently says the signature is “allegedly” behind the fireplace but that no one knows for sure. Neither source gives a year, a film or any record of a Wayne visit. It is a story people tell, and the lodge itself treats it as unverified. Sources: Hannagan Meadow Lodge: History of the lodge
Arizona Highways: Hannagan Meadow Lodge

What we could not verify

Drive times from Show Low, current road conditions, winter closures and fuel stops: not checked. Check with the Forest Service and ADOT before you go.
Lodge hours and rates: not checked.
Curve counts you may see quoted for the road: we could not confirm one, so we print none.

Questions people ask

Why was the Coronado Trail once US 666?

Wikipedia, citing a Federal Highway Administration historian, says 666 marked the sixth branch of US 66 and was never a biblical reference; the number was dropped in 1992 after years of stolen signs and the “number of the beast” association. Arizona Highways says the road opened as Route 666 in 1926.

Does the road follow Coronado’s route?

Arizona Highways says it follows the trail used in 1540 but cites no evidence, and we found no historical source that confirms his exact path.

Where does the Coronado Trail start?

At Eagar and Springerville in the north, according to Arizona Highways.

Sources

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Cite this page: It’s Show Low (itsshowlow.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link.