Arizona 61 is one of the older routes in the state highway system, having been
added in 1935. The road begins at US 60 just east of Show
Low, and travels through sparsely populated range country
to Concho and St. Johns, where it meets US 191. Arizona 61
then has a multiplex with US 191 as it heads north and east,
before striking back off on it's own to head to Zuni, NM,
becoming New Mexico 53 once it leaves Arizona.
Eastbound Arizona 61
Just after Arizona 61 splits off from US
60, we find the first road junction, with County Road
8235. The County Road shield is more common in rural Arizona
than it is in urban areas. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Distance sign to Concho (20 miles), St. Johns (30 miles)
and Lyman Lake (43 miles). Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Arizona 61 at milepost 355. The mile markers on Arizona
61 are based off those of US 60. Notice the adopt-a-highway
sign in the right side of the photo. Photo taken November
11, 2006.
Arizona 61 continues through high, gently rolling terrain
as it heads east toward Concho. Photo taken November 11,
2006.
The arrow-straight line of Arizona 61 can be seen in
the distance in this photograph. Photo taken November
11, 2006.
The high plains grassland of northeastern Arizona are
seen in this photo. Arizona 61 spends all of it's time
in these grasslands. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Distance sign to Concho (5 miles) and St. Johns (20
miles). Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Advance signage for Arizona 180A. Arizona 61 is entering
the small town of Concho, named because the valley that
holds Concho resembles a shell.1 The town was
established in 1879. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Use Arizona 180A northbound to reach Petrified Forest
National Monument and Holbrook, or Arizona 61 east to
reach St. Johns. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Arizona 180A departs here from Arizona 61. Arizona 180A
is a former alignment of US 180, bypassed in 1973 and
signed as Arizona 180A in 1974. Photo taken November 11,
2006.
Arizona places reassurance markers after every major
road junction. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
After leaving Concho Valley, Arizona 61 resumes its
travels through the high grasslands of northeastern Arizona.
Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Advance signage for US 180. Photo taken November 11,
2006.
Continue east on Arizona 61/US 180 to St. Johns, or
turn left on US 180 to reach Holbrook and Petrified Forest
National Monument. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
US 180 continues east towards St. Johns, multiplexed
with Arizona 61. US 180 turns northwest from here to Petrified
Forest National Monument and Holbrook. Photo taken November
11, 2006.
Perspective from Arizona 61 and US 180 multiplex
Entering St. Johns, the Apache County Fairgrounds can
be reached off this turn from Arizona 61/US 180. St. Johns
was named on San Juans day, June 24, bu Mexican settlers,
and is the county seat of Apache County.2 Photo
taken November 11, 2006.
Arizona 61 meets US 191 here. Turn right to take US
180 eastbound and US 191 southbound, or continue north
on US 191 northbound and Arizona 61 eastbound. Photo taken
November 11, 2006.
Perspective of Eastbound Arizona 61 and
Northbound US 191
Arizona 61 and US 191 will be multiplexed for the next
29 miles. Since US 191 is the primary route, the mileposts
from US 191 will be used for the multiplex. Photo taken
November 11, 2006.
Distance sign to Sanders (51 miles), and Interstate
40 (52 miles), both along US 191. There are no towns on
Arizona 61 until after it leaves Arizona. Photo taken
November 11, 2006.
Advance signage for the Coronado Generating Station.
The Coronado Generating station is a coal-fired power
generation facility. The powerplant is owned by SRP, and
was completed in 1979-80 to generate power for Phoenix.
Photo taken November 11, 2006.
US 191 and Arizona 61 continue north through grasslands
and ranch country. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
US 191 and Arizona 61 travels through a patchwork of
state, BLM, and private lands. Photo taken November 11,
2006.
Arizona 61 and US 191 is a fairly desolate road - very
few cars were spotted on the AARoads tour of US 191/Arizona
61. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Advance signage for the split of Arizona 61 from US
191. After this sign, Arizona 61 will continue east to
New Mexico, while US 191 continues north towards Interstate
40. Photo taken November 11, 2006.
Sources:
Barnes, Will C. Arizona Place Names. 1933 (reprinted 1988),
pp. 107.
