The United States’ Four Corners phenomenon in the desert southwest receives an inordinate amount of attention on Twelve Mile Circle. I don’t know exactly why. Perhaps it’s because it was one of the first places I ever visited simply because of its geo-weirdness. In fact, the fascination runs so deep that it extends to the other corners of those four kindred states.
I’ll focus on Colorado (map) if for no other reason than this might be the easiest of the bunch. New Mexico and Arizona share a border with Mexico, making it a bit difficult to touch those corners with active Border Patrols in progress. Utah has a notch that gives it a couple of “extra” corners. Let’s try Colorado instead, not out of favoritism but because of ease. We’ll see if it’s possible to visit its three remaining corners as a theoretical construct. I recognize that Colorado isn’t really a rectangle but I’m choosing to ignore that for today’s exercise.
Northwest Corner
I start my virtual tour at the northwest corner where Colorado, Utah and Wyoming all join, the CO-UT-WY tripoint.
There seems to be a defined trail, perhaps a fire road, that leads right up to the proper area. Also as I examine the satellite image in more detail I see a small object right around where the tripoint should be located. Google Maps is sometimes a few feet off with roads and borders and that might explain the discrepancy. This visit should be doable although perhaps not easily.
Northeast Corner
The northeast corer of Colorado forms the large notch in Nebraska.
The entire area is crisscrossed by farm roads running north-south and east-west among center-pivot agricultural fields. One appears to follow right along the border including the corner. There shouldn’t any difficulty with this one. It’s about four miles away from an exit on Interstate 80.
Southeast Corner
Finally, I’ll examine the southeastern corner where Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma meet, the CO-KS-OK tripoint.
This is another instance where an abundant road network provides plenty of opportunities to access the area. It’s about eight miles due west of Elkhart, Kansas at the edge of the Cimarron National Grassland (map). This one even has a name, Eight Mile Corner, and a monument shaped like a windmill according to the Kansas Travel and Tourism Division. They also note, “the road to the 8-Mile Windmill is a non-paved road that is well-maintained so it is available for viewing at all times.”
UPDATE: I visited this corner in March 2013!
Thus, three of Colorado’s four corners should be easily accessible. Also the remaining corner should be feasible to someone with a little determination. I invite readers to share any reports of actual on on-the-ground visits to any of these points (especially ones other than the famous Four Corners).
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