Driving the Coronado — Read This First — a stop on the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway.
Before we go any further, some straight talk about this road, because it is not like other scenic drives and people get caught out.
You are about to drive ninety-odd miles with something like four hundred and sixty curves in it. There are no services on the middle sixty miles — no gas, no food, no lodging, and for most of it no cell signal at all. Fill your tank in Alpine or Springerville. Carry water. Tell somebody where you're going.
Allow far more time than the mileage suggests. Ninety-four miles sounds like ninety minutes; it is realistically three to four hours with stops, and rushing it is both unpleasant and dangerous. The speed limit drops as low as fifteen miles an hour on some of the switchback sections, and that is not a suggestion.
This road is genuinely unsuitable for large RVs and vehicles towing trailers — the curves are tight enough that a long rig cannot stay in its lane. Locals will tell you stories.
If you're prone to motion sickness, sit in the front and look far ahead. And in winter, understand that the high section is above nine thousand feet, gets real snow, and may close. Check before you commit.
Right. With that said — this is one of the most extraordinary drives in the American West. Let's go.