Origin
Cave Creek, AZ
Late night in Cave Creek on Sunday
Local time
4:38 AM
MST
Current temp
85°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cave Creek, AZ to Scottsdale, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
26.2 mi
42 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cave Creek, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Scottsdale, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Cave Creek to Scottsdale is a quick, straightforward journey covering 26.2 miles. You can expect to spend about 40 minutes on the road, making this a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. With a fuel budget of just $5, it is an incredibly affordable route that keeps you entirely within the Desert Southwest. Whether you are commuting or heading out for a change of scenery, the trip is simple enough that you will not need to worry about overnight logistics. It is a practical, efficient connection between these two Arizona hubs, allowing for maximum flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pima Freeway | 11.2 mi | 12m |
| North Scottsdale Road | 9.8 mi | 15m |
| North Tom Darlington Drive | 2 mi | 4m |
| East Cave Creek Road | 1.8 mi | 4m |
| East Chaparral Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Pima Freeway
— 11.2 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cave Creek, AZ and Scottsdale, 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
11 mi
·
12 min
·
Pima Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
Exit 46
Toward Chaparral Road
Use the slight right lane.
10
Turn right onto East Chaparral Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Chaparral Road
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
11
Turn left
64 ft
·
4 sec
12
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 13.6 and 26.2 — 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
25.2 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Take the exit toward Chaparral Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 46
Toward Chaparral Road
5
25.6 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
East Chaparral Road
Turn right onto East Chaparral Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
3
26.2 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.22 one way
$10.44 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $5.52 | $11.05 |
| premium | $5.59 | $5.77 | $11.53 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.78 | $11.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.75 | $1.26 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.29 | $1.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.67 | $1.68 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Scottsdale, AZ
Late night in Scottsdale on Sunday
Local time
4:38 AM
MST
Current temp
88°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
3 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
40m 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 drive offers a mixed-road profile that transitions from local routes to faster highway sections. You will navigate using North Tom Darlington Drive and North Scottsdale Road before spending 43% of your journey on the Pima Freeway. The longest uninterrupted stretch occurs on the freeway, lasting 11.2 miles, which provides a steady rhythm before you exit back onto local surface streets. Because the route balances surface roads with a significant highway segment, you get a feel for both the suburban flow and the higher-speed corridors of the region.
43% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.2 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 40m drive. You will face about 5 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 25.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Cave Creek, AZ
Full guide →Top landmarks
- • Cave Creek Service Station — historic fuel station in Arizona, USA
Arriving in Scottsdale, AZ
Full guide →Founded 1894
Scottsdale is a city in the state of Arizona. Scottsdale is home to many galleries, high quality resorts, and golf courses. It is also one of the wealthier parts of the Phoenix Metro Area.
Top landmarks
- • Taliesin West — Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
- • Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art — art museum
- • Little Red Schoolhouse — now used as the Scottsdale Historical Museum, NRHP-listed
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 40m. Total distance: 26.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (43%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.2 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 25.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Scottsdale, 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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