Origin
Fountain Hills, AZ
Evening in Fountain Hills on Saturday
Local time
7:46 PM
MST
Current temp
88°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fountain Hills, 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
42m
Distance
31.8 mi
51 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fountain Hills, AZ
Brent Singleton
Phoenix, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Fountain Hills to Phoenix is a straightforward 31.8-mile journey that typically takes about 42 minutes to complete. Because of the short distance, you can easily handle this trip as a quick day outing without needing an overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via the Beeline Highway, North Saguaro Boulevard, and the Red Mountain Freeway. Budgeting around $6 for fuel should comfortably cover this desert southwest transit. It is a practical, efficient route for those moving between these two Arizona hubs, offering a reliable path that avoids unnecessary complexity.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Red Mountain Freeway | 12 mi | 13m |
| Beeline Highway | 11.3 mi | 13m |
| North Saguaro Boulevard | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| North 7th Street | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Papago Freeway | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| East Shea Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East Washington Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| North Country Club Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Red Mountain Freeway
— 12 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fountain Hills, AZ and Phoenix, AZ.
1
Start on North Hamilton Drive
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Hamilton Drive
2
At end of road, turn right onto North Saguaro Boulevard
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
North Saguaro Boulevard
3
Turn left onto East Shea Boulevard
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Shea Boulevard
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto AZ 87
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Beeline Highway
Use the right lane.
5
Continue on AZ 87
0.5 mi
·
47 sec
·
North Country Club Drive
6
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward AZ 202 Loop West
7
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 10 West
Use the slight left lane.
9
Merge onto I 10
0.7 mi
·
50 sec
·
Papago Freeway
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 145A
Toward 7th Street
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Toward 7th Street South, Downtown Cultural/Sports Facilitles
Use the left lane.
12
Turn straight onto North 7th Street
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
North 7th Street
13
Turn right onto East Washington Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
East Washington Street
14
Arrive at destination
West Washington Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 30.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Saguaro Boulevard
At end of road, turn right onto North Saguaro Boulevard
Navigation decision point
6
4 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
AZ 87 / Beeline Highway
Turn right onto AZ 87 / Beeline Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
28.1 mi into trip
|
~36m in
Take the exit toward I 10 West
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 10 West
7
29.9 mi into trip
|
~38m 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
30.2 mi into trip
|
~38m 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
$6.33 one way
$12.67 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $6.70 | $13.41 |
| premium | $5.59 | $7.00 | $14.00 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.02 | $14.04 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.1 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 | 9.5 | 0 | $3.34 | $1.53 |
| Efficient EV | 8 | 0 | $2.78 | $1.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.7 | 0 | $4.45 | $2.04 |
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.
Destination
Phoenix, AZ
Evening in Phoenix on Saturday
Local time
7:46 PM
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
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
42m 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 transitions from local roads to faster freeway segments. You will spend about 40% of your time on highways, with your longest uninterrupted stretch covering 12 miles along the Red Mountain Freeway. The character of the road shifts as you transition from the local streets of Fountain Hills onto the more structured flow of the freeway system. While the drive is relatively brief, the change in road types keeps the experience varied. You will find that the route remains consistent in its pace, allowing for a steady and predictable time behind the wheel.
40% 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: 12 mi on Red Mountain Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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 0.2 miles in near North Saguaro Boulevard.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 10 decision points packed into just 31.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (North Saguaro Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 4 miles (AZ 87 / Beeline Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
1,608 ft
1,086 ft
Total Climb
97 ft
Total Descent
616 ft
Highest Point
1,608 ft
Elevation Range
522 ft
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 42m. Total distance: 31.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (40%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12 miles on Red Mountain 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 0.2 miles (North Saguaro Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 4 miles (AZ 87 / Beeline Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.1 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 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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