US Route 191 - Arizona

AKA: Devil's Highway, Coronado Trail

Alpine - Clifton

Distance/Driving time: 95 miles/ 2h, 38m

County(ies): Greenlee

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• My Cousin on his Gold Wing and me on my Softail tried this road starting at Douglas January 2012. more...
  We made it to within 20 miles of Hannagan Meadows. The roads had been clear but it was just too damn cold as we gained elevation to go any further, so we turned around and boogied back down to the relative warmth of Clifton and then points west. This year we looked for a window of opportunity and found one in early February, 2013 and started on the road at Springerville and headed south. What a fantastic trip! My Cousin and I have ridden lots of 'famous' roads together, the Snake, the Dragon, the Triple Nickel, and I have ridden up and down and back and forth across the US and Canada. I love this road! Technical? Yes. Dangerous? Can be if you don’t respect it. Beautiful? Absolutely! I would not recommend that you try this road in winter like I did unless you are a little bit nuts like me. - Buzz Waters (2/15/13)
• Completed this road September 2010, with a group of 14 riders, each on separate bikes. more...
  Super-beginner to extra advanced, Harleys, Goldwings, Trikes. We had it all. My 72 year old mother in law said this was on her ‘Bucket List’. 70-ish miles of 525 curves, we sure didn’t stop enough...a helmet cam would have been awesome for this ride. We took the South to North direction, staying the night at the Hannagan Meadows Lodge, where we rented the entire lodge for one night. Be sure you pick up a pin or patch on the top side saying you 'Rode the Devil’s Highway'! I completely agree with the gas up and take no chances. There are small pull-outs for groups to gather and have lunch, then you’ll find just another half mile, there’s a picnic table setup. Full Gear for this road is necessary, you never know what Ma Nature is going to throw at you! Full-on paying attention is also a necessity, you never know which way the road is going to turn next, and it seems they’re all blind corners. Once a beginner takes on this road, they feel like they’ve accomplished something. I know I did! - E. M. Tucson, AZ (12/18/10)
• No service for this 93 miles, more...
  just curves and scenic. - Thomas Treuheit (9/4/10)
• Fill up before you hit this road, after the strip mine there is no gas till Alpine! more...
  The first few curves after the mine are tight, 10mph U's, with the possibilty of mountain goats. After that its great tight turns, sweepers, awesome scenery, the works, with very little traffic or police. Watch out for the elk though! It was a awesome ride, I made the mistake of not filling up and ran out of gas at Hannagan Meadows. One of the guys there was nice enough to siphon it out of his truck, and the burger there was decent. - Anonymous (2/20/10)
• I just completed this ride from north to south. more...
  This was the last part of a 4200 mile trip by myself. This is lonely stretch of road for a single rider. Great views, great turns and good road surface. I didn't really know what I was getting into, but the road just kept going and going. Took me longer than I was expecting and had to rush the last part to avoid riding after dark. What good is a mountain road if you can't see the views, because it's dark. I also got caught in a rain & hail storm with no place to pull off for protection. My gear really gave me all the protection I needed, expect for my riding gloves, which did not cover the ends of my fingers. I've got bruises from the hail hitting my fingers. You bet....I will ride this one again. I will try and do it with a group next time. I loved the North to South direction. I was totally surprised by the copper mines in the last few miles. Great ride!! - Ricky, Texas Wing Rider (8/6/09)
• Rode 191 from Clifton to Springerville Wednesday. more...
  Riding this road was the main point of our ride from southeast Texas to Arizona. First of all I believe this is the funnest road I ever rode!! The first 30 miles or so north from Clifton are the most challenging. Numerous almost 180 degree curves and most are 90 degree or better. Much fun even on a Goldwing. Had to be careful to keep my feet on the top of the pegs because I drug them off a couple of times. The next 30 miles or so, most of the turns relaxed a bit and posted speeds went from 10 mph to 15-20 mph. Still much fun. The last third of the road was beautiful sweepers and you could peek at the scenery occasionally. The previous comment on this road accused Bible thumpers for causing the name change. Actually this was done partly because generally the US highway system uses odd numbers for North-South routes and even numbers for East-West routes. Also the states got a little tired of replacing the 666 signs because thieves stole them. As for Bible thumpers, I read mine daily. Can't see much point in thumping it. I wouldn't recommend this road to beginning riders, but it is generally a well mantained road and safely traveled if ridden in a sane manner. We never encountered anyone going our direction (north) the entire length and very few drivers heading south, except some more motorcycles on the most northern third from Hannegan Meadows north. - Anonymous (4/28/09)
• This road used to be US 666 and named the 'Devil's Highway'. more...
  That being not Politically Correct, it was renamed US 191 and the Coronado Trail (as Coronado supposedly used this route to explore into North America). Yeah sure...the bible thumpers just could not handle a road named Devil's Highway. Well that being said, this goes from tight twisty back and forth near south end toward big sweepers as you travel north. Since the avg speed is quite slow, this road is not the preferred route from Clifton to Alpine, that route lies east on AZ 12. This will take almost 3 hours to ride. There are virtually no services, so fill up in Clifton or Alpine before heading out. Gorgeous scenery too. - Craig Williams (4/16/09)
• This one has it all. more...
  Over the first 20 miles it is tight and twisty, the last 100 miles is through beautiful high mountain meadows with great sweeping turns and there is very little traffic. Be sure to leave Clifton with a full tank of gas because it is 90 miles to the next fuel stop in Alpine. - Kenneth Hatch (9/16/08)
• 180 twisties down hill from north to south. more...
  Road is tough, but the scenery is fantastic. - Rider from Phoenix, AZ (7/21/08)
• An archaeologist friend told me of the Coronado Trail, as the stretch of 191 from Morenci to Alpine is also known, when I told her that I'd be visiting Arizona and would want to do some riding. more...
  This was in late December 2003. It took a bit of searhing the Delorme to find this wild road. I made it to Morenci about 1 Pm on Dec. 29, and blithely headed out, on a rented Ultraclassic. 20 miles of no-let-up twisties on the south climb, another stretch of somewhat less twisty downhill curves, occasionally wet with a sheen of seeping water sheeting across the pavement, and a long straight stretch through an upland grassy meadow in the cold December air led to the climb to the highest pass. 3 cars and one truck in 3 hours added loneliness to the adventure. Then, a drift of packed snow nearly across the road, another, another... and halfway up a long uphill climb with the road disappearing around a right hander in the sunset, the road covered side to side in hard packed snow, as far as I could see, around the corner. Turn around, 70 miles back to Morenci, mostly in the dark. Thoughts of those wet curves...would they be frozen, in the growing cold? And gas is getting low... a tense but exhilarating return ride. Once past those wet spots, taken slowly, only the nearly empty tank marred the ride. Mighty glad to see the big mine, and Morenci... Rode 191 in daylight the next year. It was a good thing I tuned around where I did, as the stretch down to Hannigans Meadow had ice patches in a drought year, and would have been deadly in the dark. A peak experience, in the top 20, even though - or perhaps because - the ride had to be abandoned, to be enjoyed another day. - Anonymous (6/13/08)
• I have to agree this is one ominous road. more...
  I rode this route on my BMW R1150RT last spring. It is the only road I have ever ridden where half way through you are on the side of the road with your hands hanging down wondering if the twisities will EVER stop. Fully agree that you have to be wide awake and aware of every curve as, if you are pushing, you WILL cross the line. Although the road is pretty well un-occupied for the most part, you still don't want to be out there having to choose to go over the edge, it is a long way down! Well worth the effort to go out of your way to ride this incredible surface. - Bruce Greb (6/13/08)
• My buddy Pat and I from Northern California, riding our Harley Ultras in May of 2008, just happened upon this road, Highway 191 from Alpine to Clifton. more...
  I must say, I had never experienced anything quite like this. You drop 6,000 feet in 60 miles with 425 hair-pin curves with no guardrails (which we have in California). What beautiful scenery and then to end on the largest open pit copper mine in the world. The mine employs 3,700 people and are looking to expand to over 4,500 by 2010. I don't recommend this road to beginners. Even for experienced riders, such as my buddy and I who have traveled over 30,000 miles together, including the Alaskan Hwy., this road presented new challenges and adventures and caution any rider to be careful as we found ourselves having to maneuver around loose gravel on some of the hair-pin turns. - Steve Anderson, Meadow Vista, CA (6/4/08)
• I have been trying to ride this road for several years and in the last week of May of this year I had the good fortune to share this route with my wife as my passenger and another couple, all riding 1800 Goldwings (3). more...
  I have been riding for 51 years, and in all my riding, the trip this year of 4973 miles, including the 100 miles from Alpine to Clifton on Highway 191, was the best ever. This roadway provides a workout for the rider and machine like none I've ever experienced. This is definitely the road you want to adhere to the postings the state has put up for cornering. Some as low as 10 mph. I will look forward to again traveling this road in years to come and having others experience the smiles that are ever present as you accomplish this road. - Rider from Seattle, WA (6/15/07)
• Beautiful Highway 191, aka US 666, is the greatest road that I have ridden on in a very long time. more...
  We went up this Memorial Day weekend 2007, and I was on my CBR600F4I and my dad was on a FJR 1300, a friend who was on a Yamaha Enduro, and my very brave wife, who was on her own bike of course, she was on her Ninja 500R. I must say that this 94 mile stretch of twisties and curves is the most exhilarating mountain road and fills your need of every type of twisty you can handle. Most of all I wanted to let people know that, yes, this is a very difficult road to handle but my wife who has been riding maybe for 2.5 months handled this road very well for a beginner. Before this, her longest ride was a 50 mile round trip (city driving) and she did this ride which was a total of 215 miles from Alpine down to Morenci then around to the US 78, up US 180, and back to Alpine. So for you beginners out there that want a challenge, this is the road of all roads. Just remember, drive at your own pace and do not try to impress anyone, because if you do, the road does not discriminate and will take a bite out of you and then you will find out why they use to call this the 'Devil's Highway'. The scenery is beautiful and the ride up the mountain is very refreshing. If you are ever out this way, take the ride and I promise you you will not be disappointed. - Rider from Phoenix, AZ (6/1/07)
• The 'Devils Highway' will give you a stiff neck from looking upwards and twisting your head to look through 110 degree corners. more...
  It should be on any adventure tourers, sport tourers and sportbike "bests" list anywhere. This road is a bit too tough for beginning riders as the road configuration is twisty and up and down, can have ice at high elevations, and has a lot of surface gravel. If you must really rip it, then forget watching the great scenery. This is one of those roads where you will see something new every time you ride it. Don't try to ride it much before April as the area around Rose PK. and Hannagan Meadows approaches 9000 ft. So expect to watch for ice late in the spring even. Also take layered clothing as you will be cold. A great section near Rose PK. has a rest area that lets you see mountain ridge after mountain ridge....very beautiful. A word of warning....don't get caught up here w/o gas so fill up in Clifton or next stop is 122 miles away and is very $$$$$$ up there. This is a road you should not miss. - Jeff Augstman (5/20/07)
• So many turns that you need to stop every 5 minutes to catch your breath. more...
  Be careful to not be lulled into the rhythem because a decreasing radius turn will bite you. This road is the best for sportbikes. Stop at the resturant at Hannigan Meadow for a great meal. - Darrell Gregory (12/29/06)
• What an adventure. Not really sure I can explain in words. more...
  All I can really say is my riding experience has been taken up a few notch's. It's definitely not a ride for beginners. I won't be recommending it to folks I meet that are just starting out. Only if they have an experienced rider guiding them, maybe. This road started out as a mule-train path for the copper/iron mines in the 1800's. Many of the turns are crazy-tight. The elevations range from 1000 feet above sea-level, up to 8500 feet. There are quite a few areas up there, if I had made a mistake it would have taken months to find me. The weather was gorgeous up to about 30 miles outside of Morenci. It started pouring. I pulled off on a Fire Road to look for shelter and ended up practicing my old off-road skills. Mud city! I loved it, and the best part: My MTS loved it! This bike is an absolute dream. Multistrada is Italian for 'Many Roads' and this bike lived up to it's name. It was a tough decision to find shelter and wait for the rain to stop, or keep drudging along... Drudging on I did, albeit slowly. Completely drenched, and the bike covered with mud, I ended up racing the edge of the storm into Morenci, quite literally. It was blowing in from the South. Moving East, Northeast. As I was coming down the switchbacks, through the Morenci Mines, if the switchback turned me West I would get wind and rain. Switchback the other way and it dried out. I knew all was good when, just at the last switchback there was a herd of Mountain Goats climbing the side of a hill to find shelter from the impending storm. Quite majestic looking animals. I had never seen one in the Wild. So, I stop for gas at the Coop and received many odd looks from the others getting their gas. It must have been the puddles of water I left every where I stood? *LOL* I had to laugh, as well. Although, it was a laugh of relief that I had made it through the ride in one piece. Maybe, I shouldn't have done this ride solo, regardless it was a ride that will go down as one of the best in my experience, for many years to come. - Gerry Cassidy (10/18/06)
• Myself and a group of 18 riders had the absolutle pleasure of riding the 191 over this past weekend. more...
  Within our group there was a very wide skill set. With every rider at their own pace, we all made it fine. However, to a skilled agressive rider, this is hands down the best stretch of road in the state, if not tops in the country. Just be aware of loose gravel, oil spots near the mine on the south end, and wildlife. We were going through mid-day, and seen plenty of animals including deer, elk, and a few I didnt get a good enough look at. I recommend this ride to any and everyone who enjoys a fun ride, and some of the most breathtaking views in the state. - Rider from Arizona (10/3/06)
• What a fantastic road. more...
  Light traffic, smooth surface that seems to go on forever. The scenery is incredible from start to finish. A must do road if you travel anywhere near this area. - Tom Halchuk (8/22/06)
• Has to be one of the country's greatest rides. more...
  Ranging from tight sweepers to mild twisties. Huge temperture change from the bottom to the top. Nice rest stops. The view is incredible from many places, plan on stopping to take it all in. Unless of course you just want to go knee draggin for 100 miles or so. Then take the scenic tour on your way back. - Paul Wendelschafer (8/14/06)
• The Devils Highway/Coronado Trail. more...
  Once the road was named route 666, however, today it has been renamed 191. From Morenci to Alpine the road is fairly challenging and is definitely not for new riders. The scenery along the road is beautiful but it is hard to take your concentration off of the road. If you pour on some speed the road can be deadly. I have the scars and pictures to prove it. Early on in the ride there is a scenic overlook into the Phelps Dodge mine. The view is spectacular. The road north of the mine is extremely rural; I observed no other traffic other than my group on the road. My Cell Phone was useless once I got just a few miles in. I think the highest elevation along the way is about 8900ft, so pack accordingly. - John Vaught (5/18/06)
• Devil's Highway, Alpine to Clifton - Long, tight, up, down. more...
  I ride a dual sport BMW and I rode my bike like never before. What a road!!!!!!! - Tom Bailey (5/15/06)

Other Resources:

• America's Byways - Coronado Trail Scenic Byway
• North American Sportbike Road Registry - Arizona Sport Bike Roads
• Dan Kalal - The Motorcycle Roads