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Trip from Carefree, AZ to Phoenix, AZ

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

49m

Distance

32.8 mi

53 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 45m ★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 57m
8 PM
0h 47m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Carefree, AZ, AZ

Carefree, AZ

Serg Alesenko

seat of Maricopa County, largest city in, and capital of, the State of Arizona, United States

Phoenix, AZ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This straightforward 32.8-mile drive from Carefree, AZ, to Phoenix, AZ, can easily be completed in about 49 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. The route primarily utilizes the Piestewa Freeway and North Scottsdale Road, with a portion on East Pinnacle Peak Road, offering a mixed driving experience. With an estimated fuel cost of just $7, this journey is budget-friendly. You'll be traveling within the Desert Southwest region throughout, experiencing a consistent landscape. Given its short duration and minimal stops, it’s an easy excursion to fit into any travel plans.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Piestewa Freeway 14.5 mi 17m
North Scottsdale Road 7 mi 10m
East Pinnacle Peak Road 2.5 mi 3m
North Tatum Boulevard 1.8 mi 3m
North Tom Darlington Drive 1.5 mi 3m
North 7th Street 0.9 mi 2m
Papago Freeway 0.8 mi <1m
East Washington Street 0.5 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Piestewa Freeway — 14.5 mi, about 17m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Carefree, AZ and Phoenix, AZ.

1

Start on North Tranquil Trail

10 ft · 0 sec · North Tranquil Trail
2

Continue on North Bloody Basin Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · North Bloody Basin Road
3

At end of road, turn left onto North Tom Darlington Drive

1.5 mi · 3 min · North Tom Darlington Drive
4

Continue on North Scottsdale Road

7.0 mi · 10 min · North Scottsdale Road
5

Turn right onto East Pinnacle Peak Road

2.5 mi · 3 min · East Pinnacle Peak Road
6

Turn left onto North Tatum Boulevard

1.8 mi · 3 min · North Tatum Boulevard
Use the left lane.
7

Take the ramp

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward AZ 101 Loop West Use the right lane.
8

Merge onto AZ 101 Loop

0.2 mi · 12 sec · Pima Freeway
9

Take the exit

1.3 mi · 1 min
Exit 29B Toward AZ 51 South Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10

Merge onto AZ 51

15 mi · 17 min · Piestewa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

271 ft · 5 sec
Toward I 10 West, AZ 202 Loop East: Los Angeles Use the slight right lane.
12

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 39 sec
Toward I 10 West: Los Angeles Use the slight right lane.
13

Merge onto I 10

0.8 mi · 55 sec · Papago Freeway
14

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Exit 145A Toward 7th Street Use the slight right lane.
15

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 17 sec
Toward 7th Street South, Downtown Cultural/Sports Facilitles Use the left lane.
16

Turn straight onto North 7th Street

0.9 mi · 2 min · North 7th Street
17

Turn right onto East Washington Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · East Washington Street
18

Arrive at destination

West Washington Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Scottsdale, AZ

16 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.

Popular next leg

Scottsdale, AZ to Phoenix, AZ

14.1 mi · 25m

Pacing Suggestions

Maryvale, AZ

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 32.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Scottsdale, AZ

Meal break

The midpoint is around 16.4 miles from Carefree, 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 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 13.7 and 31.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
13.7 mi into trip | ~23m in

Take the exit toward AZ 51 South

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Exit 29B Toward AZ 51 South
7
29.6 mi into trip | ~43m in

Take the exit toward I 10 West, AZ 202 Loop East: Los Angeles

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 10 West, AZ 202 Loop East: Los Angeles
7
29.7 mi into trip | ~43m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 10 West: Los Angeles

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 10 West: Los Angeles
7
30.9 mi into trip | ~44m in

Take the exit toward 7th Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 145A Toward 7th Street
9
31.2 mi into trip | ~45m in

Keep slight left at fork toward 7th Street South, Downtown Cultural/Sports Facilitles

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the left lane. Toward 7th Street South, Downtown Cultural/Spor...

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.53 one way

$13.07 round trip

$5.06/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.36 $6.92 $13.83
premium $5.59 $7.22 $14.44
diesel $5.61 $7.24 $14.48

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.8 0 $3.44 $1.57
Efficient EV 8.2 0 $2.87 $1.31
EV Truck/SUV 13.1 0 $4.59 $2.10

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Carefree, AZ

Late night in Carefree on Sunday

Local time

12:57 AM

MST

Current temp

79°F

Sunny

SSW 0 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 4:56AM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Las Vegas NV

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 4:56AM PDT until April 17 at 5:00PM PDT by NWS Las Vegas NV

Destination

Phoenix, AZ

Late night in Phoenix on Sunday

Local time

12:57 AM

MST

Current temp

93°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

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

14 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

49m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

The drive presents a mixed profile, with 47% of the journey on highways. You'll experience stretches of faster-paced freeway driving, including a longest uninterrupted segment of 14.5 miles on the Piestewa Freeway. This is interspersed with more local road driving as you navigate North Scottsdale Road and East Pinnacle Peak Road. The transition between these road types will likely feel seamless, offering a varied but generally smooth driving experience without extreme changes in terrain or road complexity.

47% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.5 mi on Piestewa Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 13.7 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 32.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 13.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 29.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Arriving in Phoenix, AZ

Full guide →

Founded 1868

Phoenix is the capital of the state of Arizona, the most populous city in the American Southwest. Warm and sunny winter weather have ensured a thriving tourism industry, and the city has become the region's primary political, cultural, economic, and transportation center. Phoenix is extremely hot and dry in the summertime, so always have sunscreen with you! It had about 1,625,000 residents in 2021, and is the fifth largest city in the United States.

Top landmarks

  • • Arizona State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of Arizona
  • • Phoenix Art Museum — art museum in Phoenix, Arizona
  • • St. Mary's Basilica — Roman Catholic church in Phoenix, Arizona

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 49m. Total distance: 32.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

49m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (47%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 14.5 miles on Piestewa Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Phoenix, AZ before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

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 13.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 29.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Phoenix, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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