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Pictured is the original Arizona State Route 71 along the Coronado Trail facing south towards Morenci from the Chase Creek Overlook. This photo was featured in the July 1934 volume of Arizona Highways.
The Coronado Trail is a 123-mile section of modern US Route 191 from Springerville south to Morenci. The path US Route 191 over the Coronado Trail has over 600 curves which line the rim of the White Mountains. The Coronado Trail has one of the lowest daily traffic counts in the entire US Route System. The Coronado Trail roughly follows the path the 1540-1542 Coronado expedition took in search for the Cities of Gold. The White Mountains of eastern Arizona essentially are an extension of the larger Mogollon Rim region and has peaks as high as 11,420 feet above sea level.
The Coronado Trail was added as extension of Arizona State Route 71 north of Morenci during late 1927 to the original alignment of US Route 70 in Springerville. By 1936, the entirety of Arizona State Route 71 and the Coronado Trail was absorbed into Arizona State Route 81. In 1938 the Coronado Trail became part of the southern extension of US Route 666. By 1992 the majority of US Route 666 in Arizona had been reassigned as part of US Route 191.