Wender·Vista
Coronado Trail
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona
the mountain road from Clifton to Springerville

Coronado Trail

— — a hundred and twenty miles of slow curves and pine.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The Coronado Trail follows U.S. 191 north from Clifton through the Apache-Sitgreaves forests to Springerville. It climbs from copper-country desert to ponderosa and aspen, crossing the White Mountains near Hannagan Meadow at over nine thousand feet. The road is narrow, often without striping, and one of the least-driven federal highways in the lower forty-eight.

from the studio
Coronado Trail
— bring it home

Coronado Trail, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Coronado Trail

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Coronado Trail is the section of U.S. Route 191 between Clifton and Springerville, Arizona, roughly 123 miles long and rising from about 3,500 feet near the copper mines to over 9,100 feet at Blue Vista overlook. The route crosses Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and parts of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The road is loosely named for Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, whose 1540 expedition is thought to have passed through the broader region. Federal Highway counts make it one of the least-trafficked U.S. highways.

— the air

The climb passes through five life zones in about a hundred miles. The lower switchbacks above Morenci sit in Sonoran semi-desert; the road climbs through pinyon-juniper, ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and finally spruce-fir near Blue Vista. Hannagan Meadow at roughly 9,100 feet holds aspen stands that turn gold in late September. Black bear, elk, and Mexican gray wolves reintroduced in 1998 to the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area move through these forests, the only place in Arizona where the lobo runs free.

— the visit

The route is paved end to end but narrow, with more than 450 curves and few guardrails on the alpine section. The Forest Service recommends four to five hours of driving without stops; most travellers spread it over a day. Fuel and food are sparse north of Morenci until Alpine, near mile 96. Hannagan Meadow Lodge, open since 1926, sits roughly mid-route. The road can close briefly for snow between December and March; the summer monsoon brings afternoon thunderstorms.

— where
United States · Greenlee and Apache Counties, Arizona
— within
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
5 km S
Morenci Mine
open-pit copper mine
60 km —
Hannagan Meadow
mountain meadow
30 km E
Blue Range Wilderness
wilderness area
80 km N
Alpine
village
N
Coronado Trail
Morenci Mine
Hannagan Meadow
Blue Range Wilderness
Alpine
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Coronado Trail — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Approximately 123 miles, running along U.S. 191 from Clifton at the south end to Springerville at the north. The drive without stops takes four to five hours because of the narrow, curved alpine section.

The route loosely honours Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's 1540 expedition, which is thought to have crossed through the broader region. The historical path was not the modern highway alignment; the name dates from twentieth-century highway designation.

Blue Vista overlook, at roughly 9,184 feet, near the northern boundary of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The viewpoint looks south across the Blue Range Wilderness toward Mount Graham and the Pinaleño Mountains.

Wolves were reintroduced in 1998 to the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area, which the highway crosses. Sightings are uncommon; tracks, scat, and calls at dusk are more frequent. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracks the population annually.

The road does not close routinely. Snowstorms can shut the alpine section between Alpine and Hannagan Meadow for a day or two from December through March. The Arizona Department of Transportation posts current conditions.

— about the piece in your home

The Coronado Trail is the kind of drive people who have done it remember in specific stretches: the Morenci switchbacks, Hannagan Meadow, the aspens at Blue Vista. A Medium or Large carries the recognition well.

The pine, aspen, and high-meadow palette reads well with Mountain-modern, Cabin, and Jewel-tone Maximalist rooms. The piece warms with walnut, leather, or a wool throw in autumn tones.

A single Large fits above a standard sofa. A 4-tile Mural reads stronger above a long sectional; a 9-tile Mural lets the ridgeline extend the full width of a console wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for showers, backsplashes, or vertical installs where steam or splash is common. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift.

Microfibre cloth and water. No abrasive pads, no solvents. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure; routine wiping is all the piece ever needs.

— if this one stayed with you

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