U.S. Route 491 in New Mexico

U.S. Route 491
Devil's Highway
Map of the Four Corners with US 491 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 91
Maintained by NMDOT, CDOT, UDOT
Length:	193.930 mi (312.100 km)
History:	1926–2003 as US 666 2003–present as US 491
Tourist routes:	Trails of the Ancients Byway
Major junctions
South end:	I-40 / NM 602 in Gallup, NM
	US 64 in Shiprock, NM US 160 in Cortez, CO
North end:	US-191 in Monticello, UT
Location
States:	New Mexico, Colorado, Utah
Counties:	NM: McKinley, San Juan CO: Montezuma, Delores UT: San Juan
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Replaced ← SR-320 UT US-6 → ← E-470 CO US 550 → ← NM 485 NM NM 494 →

U.S. Route 491 (US 491) is a north–south U.S. Highway serving the Four Corners region of the United States. One of the newest designations in the U.S. Highway System, it was created in 2003 as a renumbering of U.S. Route 666 (US 666). With the 666 designation, this road was nicknamed the "Devil's Highway" because of the significance of number 666 to many Christian denominations, which is believed by some that 666 is the Number of the Beast. This Satanic connotation, combined with a high fatality rate along the New Mexico portion, convinced some people the highway was cursed. The problem was compounded by persistent sign theft. These factors led to two efforts to renumber the highway, first by officials in Arizona, later in New Mexico. There have been safety improvement projects in recent years, and fatality rates have subsequently decreased.

The highway, now a spur route of US 91 via its connection to US 191, runs through Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, as well as the tribal nations of the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The highway passes by two mountains considered sacred by Native Americans: Ute Mountain and an extinct volcanic core named Shiprock. Other features along the route include Mesa Verde National Park and Dove Creek, Colorado, the self-proclaimed pinto-bean capital of the world.