Origin
Alhambra, AZ
Late night in Alhambra on Tuesday
Local time
1:58 AM
MST
Current temp
88°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Alhambra, AZ to Maricopa, AZ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
51m
Distance
40.5 mi
65 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 47m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 0m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Alhambra, AZ
David Vives
Maricopa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Alhambra, AZ to Maricopa, AZ is 40.5 miles and takes about 51 minutes via Maricopa Freeway and Black Canyon Freeway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward, same-day trip primarily through the Desert Southwest region of Arizona. The drive is a mix of highway and local roads, making it a practical option for a short excursion or a quick connection. You'll spend a good portion of the time on major freeways, so expect typical traffic patterns for this type of urban-adjacent travel. It’s a simple route, good for when you need to get from point A to point B without much fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Maricopa Freeway | 16.3 mi | 18m |
| North Maricopa Road | 11.8 mi | 13m |
| Black Canyon Freeway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway | 2.2 mi | 2m |
| North John Wayne Parkway | 2.2 mi | 4m |
| West Queen Creek Road | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Grand Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| US 60 | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Maricopa Freeway
— 16.3 mi, about 18m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Alhambra, AZ and Maricopa, AZ.
1
Start on North 35th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North 35th Avenue
2
Turn left onto US 60
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
3
Take the exit onto US 60
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
US 60
Toward 27th Avenue
4
Turn left onto US 60
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
West Thomas Road
Use the left / slight left lanes.
5
Turn right onto US 60
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
·
North Black Canyon Highway
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward I 17 South
7
Merge onto I 17; US 60
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Black Canyon Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on I 17; US 60
16 mi
·
18 min
·
Maricopa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 10
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
Exit 164
Toward AZ 347 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn right onto AZ 347
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
West Queen Creek Road
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
12
Continue on AZ 347
12 mi
·
13 min
·
North Maricopa Road
13
Continue on AZ 347
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
North John Wayne Parkway
Use the left / straight lanes.
14
Arrive at destination
AZ 347
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
20 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 40.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.2 miles from Alhambra, AZ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.7 and 24.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 60 / West Thomas Road
Turn left onto US 60 / West Thomas Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / slight left lanes.
5
1.9 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 60 / North Black Canyon Highway
Turn right onto US 60 / North Black Canyon Highway
Navigation decision point
5
2.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit toward I 17 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward I 17 South
5
2.3 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 17; US 60 / Black Canyon Freeway
Merge onto I 17; US 60 / Black Canyon Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
24.4 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward AZ 347 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 164
Toward AZ 347 South
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.07 one way
$16.14 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $8.54 | $17.08 |
| premium | $5.59 | $8.91 | $17.83 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.94 | $17.88 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.25 | $1.94 |
| Efficient EV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.54 | $1.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.2 | 0 | $5.67 | $2.59 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Maricopa, AZ
Late night in Maricopa on Tuesday
Local time
1:58 AM
MST
Current temp
85°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
62°F
Guadalupe, AZ
20 mi in
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
3 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
51m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This route offers a mixed drive experience, with 56% of it on major highways like the Maricopa Freeway and Black Canyon Freeway. You'll encounter your longest uninterrupted stretch of 16.3 miles on the Maricopa Freeway, providing a consistent pace. The road character shifts as you progress, moving from freeway conditions to more local road segments as you approach your destination. This blend means you'll experience both the efficiency of highway driving and the slightly slower, more varied conditions of arterial roads. Overall, it’s a predictable drive without significant navigational challenges.
56% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.3 mi on Maricopa Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.7 miles in near US 60 / West Thomas Road.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 40.5 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles (US 60 / West Thomas Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (US 60 / North Black Canyon Highway): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
About the Cities
Arriving in Maricopa, AZ
Full guide →Founded 2003
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 51m. Total distance: 40.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
51m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.3 miles on Maricopa Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles (US 60 / West Thomas Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (US 60 / North Black Canyon Highway): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes — Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Maricopa, AZ before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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