Origin
Cave Creek, AZ
Evening in Cave Creek on Saturday
Local time
7:50 PM
MST
Current temp
85°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cave Creek, AZ to Chandler, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 1m
Distance
42.8 mi
69 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 56m
★
6 AM
1h 1m
8 AM
1h 11m
10 AM
1h 5m
12 PM
1h 4m
3 PM
1h 5m
5 PM
1h 11m
8 PM
0h 58m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cave Creek, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Chandler, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning 42.8 miles across the Desert Southwest, this trip from Cave Creek to Chandler is a straightforward journey that typically takes about 1 hour and 1 minute. It functions perfectly as a quick day trip, requiring no overnight stays or complex logistics. You should budget approximately $9 for fuel to cover the distance between these two Arizona hubs. Since the route stays entirely within the state, you will experience a consistent regional feel while transitioning from the northern reaches of the valley down to the East Valley. It is a practical, efficient connection that serves as an easy transition between two distinct desert communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pima Freeway | 16.8 mi | 19m |
| North Scottsdale Road | 9.8 mi | 15m |
| Price Freeway | 8.4 mi | 9m |
| West Chandler Boulevard | 3.1 mi | 5m |
| North Tom Darlington Drive | 2 mi | 4m |
| East Cave Creek Road | 1.8 mi | 4m |
| North Price Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Chandler Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Pima Freeway
— 16.8 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cave Creek, AZ and Chandler, AZ.
1
Start on East Cave Creek Road
206 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Cave Creek Road
2
Continue on East Cave Creek Road
1.8 mi
·
4 min
·
East Cave Creek Road
3
Turn slight right
171 ft
·
7 sec
Toward North Tom Darlington Drive
4
Turn straight onto North Tom Darlington Drive
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
North Tom Darlington Drive
5
Turn straight onto North Tom Darlington Drive
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
North Tom Darlington Drive
6
Continue on North Scottsdale Road
9.8 mi
·
15 min
·
North Scottsdale Road
Use the left lane.
7
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
Toward AZ 101 Loop East
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop
17 mi
·
19 min
·
Pima Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on AZ 101 Loop
8.4 mi
·
9 min
·
Price Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Exit 60
Toward Chandler Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn straight onto North Price Road
380 ft
·
9 sec
·
North Price Road
12
Turn left onto West Chandler Boulevard
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
West Chandler Boulevard
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
13
Continue on East Chandler Boulevard
94 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Chandler Boulevard
Use the left lane.
14
Arrive at destination
East Chandler Boulevard
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 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 42.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21.4 miles from Cave Creek, 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
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 13.6 and 39.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
13.6 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Turn left toward AZ 101 Loop East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward AZ 101 Loop East
5
14 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
AZ 101 Loop / Pima Freeway
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop / Pima Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
39.2 mi into trip
|
~54m in
Take the exit toward Chandler Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 60
Toward Chandler Boulevard
4
39.7 mi into trip
|
~55m in
|
West Chandler Boulevard
Turn left onto West Chandler Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.53 one way
$17.05 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $9.02 | $18.05 |
| premium | $5.59 | $9.42 | $18.84 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.45 | $18.90 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 15 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.8 | 0 | $4.49 | $2.05 |
| Efficient EV | 10.7 | 0 | $3.74 | $1.71 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 17.1 | 0 | $5.99 | $2.74 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (67% 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
Chandler, AZ
Evening in Chandler on Saturday
Local time
7:50 PM
MST
Current temp
90°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
5 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
1h 1m 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?
Expect a mixed drive that balances fast-paced highway segments with local transit. Roughly 59% of your journey is spent on major highways, primarily utilizing the Pima Freeway, North Scottsdale Road, and the Price Freeway. You will encounter your longest uninterrupted stretch while navigating 16.8 miles along the Pima Freeway, which offers a steady flow of traffic. As you progress, the road environment shifts from the open stretches of the northern corridor into the more developed, interconnected arterial roads of the Chandler area. This blend of high-speed freeway driving and local navigation keeps the experience varied behind the wheel.
59% 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: 16.8 mi on Pima Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 13.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 1m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 13.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 14 miles (AZ 101 Loop / Pima Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 39.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Gently rolling terrain
2,358 ft
1,152 ft
Total Climb
285 ft
Total Descent
1,207 ft
Highest Point
2,358 ft
~3.1 mi in
Elevation Range
1,206 ft
About the Cities
Arriving in Chandler, AZ
Full guide →Chandler is a city in Arizona, and a medium-sized suburb of Phoenix with over 240,000 residents. It is a delightful place to visit.
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 1h 1m. Total distance: 42.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 1m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (59%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.8 miles on Pima 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 13.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 14 miles (AZ 101 Loop / Pima Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 39.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Chandler, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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