Origin
Cave Creek, AZ
Late night in Cave Creek on Tuesday
Local time
3:35 AM
MST
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cave Creek, AZ to Tempe, 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
49m
Distance
33.1 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
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 47m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cave Creek, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Tempe, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Cave Creek to Tempe is a straightforward 33.1-mile journey that typically takes about 49 minutes to complete. Because this trip is entirely within the Desert Southwest, you will notice a consistent regional feel as you transition between these two Arizona hubs. It is perfectly suited for a single-day excursion, meaning you won't need to worry about overnight accommodations or complicated itineraries. With a fuel budget of approximately $7, the trip is quite economical for most vehicles. Whether you are heading south for business or leisure, the brevity of this drive allows for maximum flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pima Freeway | 16.7 mi | 19m |
| North Scottsdale Road | 9.8 mi | 15m |
| North Tom Darlington Drive | 2 mi | 4m |
| East Cave Creek Road | 1.8 mi | 4m |
| East University Drive | 1 mi | 1m |
| South Price Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South McClintock Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Apache Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Pima Freeway
— 16.7 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cave Creek, AZ and Tempe, 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
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 52
Toward Rio Salado Parkway
10
Continue on South Price Road
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
South Price Road
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
11
Turn right onto East University Drive
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
East University Drive
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Turn left onto South McClintock Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South McClintock Drive
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto US 80 Hist
60 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Apache Boulevard
Use the right lane.
14
Arrive at destination
US 80 Hist
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 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 33 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.6 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
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 13.6 and 33.1 — 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.
5
30.7 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Take the exit toward Rio Salado Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 52
Toward Rio Salado Parkway
6
31.6 mi into trip
|
~46m in
|
East University Drive
Turn right onto East University Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
33.1 mi into trip
|
~49m in
|
US 80 Hist / East Apache Boulevard
Turn right onto US 80 Hist / East Apache Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.59 one way
$13.19 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $6.98 | $13.96 |
| premium | $5.59 | $7.29 | $14.57 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.31 | $14.62 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.6 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 | 9.9 | 0 | $3.48 | $1.59 |
| Efficient EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.90 | $1.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.2 | 0 | $4.63 | $2.12 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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
Tempe, AZ
Late night in Tempe on Tuesday
Local time
3:35 AM
MST
Current temp
84°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
27 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
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 driving experience that balances local navigation with faster highway transit. You will spend roughly 51% of your time on highways, utilizing North Tom Darlington Drive, North Scottsdale Road, and the Pima Freeway to bridge the distance. The longest uninterrupted stretch occurs on the Pima Freeway, which spans 16.7 miles and provides the most consistent pace of the trip. As you move away from the smaller roads of Cave Creek, the character of the drive shifts into the more structured flow of the freeway system before entering Tempe. It is a functional route that keeps you moving efficiently throughout the entire 49-minute duration.
51% 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: 16.7 mi on Pima 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 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 13.6 miles in.
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 33.1 miles you will encounter 6 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 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 30.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
About the Cities
Starting in Cave Creek, AZ
Full guide →Top landmarks
- • Cave Creek Service Station — historic fuel station in Arizona, USA
Arriving in Tempe, AZ
Full guide →Tempe is a city of 180,587 (2020) in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona, best known as the home of Arizona State University (ASU). Its younger, student-heavy population allows it to offer a vibrant nightlife that is relatively rare in 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: 33.1 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 (51%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.7 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 30.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Tempe, 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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