Origin
Glendale, AZ
Late night in Glendale on Tuesday
Local time
2:12 AM
MST
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Glendale, AZ to Carefree, 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
51m
Distance
31.9 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 47m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 0m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Glendale, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Carefree, AZ
Serg Alesenko
Trip Overview
Glendale, AZ to Carefree, AZ is 31.9 miles and takes about 51 minutes via North Cave Creek Road and Black Canyon Freeway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Arizona's Desert Southwest region, offering a straightforward drive. It's a short hop, making it ideal for a quick excursion without needing an overnight stay. You'll mostly be navigating familiar roads, so it's a convenient option if you're looking for a brief change of scenery without a long commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Cave Creek Road | 9.7 mi | 16m |
| Black Canyon Freeway | 7.1 mi | 8m |
| West Northern Avenue | 4.2 mi | 8m |
| Pima Freeway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| East Carefree Highway | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| North Tom Darlington Drive | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| North 59th Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North Bloody Basin Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
North Cave Creek Road
— 9.7 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Glendale, AZ and Carefree, AZ.
1
Start on US 60
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Grand Avenue
2
Turn sharp right onto West Myrtle Avenue
0.2 mi
·
47 sec
·
West Myrtle Avenue
3
Turn left onto North 59th Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
North 59th Avenue
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto West Northern Avenue
4.2 mi
·
8 min
·
West Northern Avenue
Use the right lane.
5
Turn slight left
439 ft
·
18 sec
6
Turn straight onto North Black Canyon Highway
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
·
North Black Canyon Highway
7
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
Toward I 17 North: Flagstaff
8
Merge onto I 17
7.1 mi
·
8 min
·
Black Canyon Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
Exit 214C
Toward AZ 101 Loop West, AZ 101 Loop East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Toward AZ 101 Loop East
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Pima Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
39 sec
Exit 28
Toward Cave Creek Road
Use the slight right lane.
13
Keep slight left at fork
507 ft
·
11 sec
Toward Cave Creek Road, National Memorial Cemetery
14
Turn slight left onto North Cave Creek Road
9.7 mi
·
16 min
·
North Cave Creek Road
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto East Carefree Highway
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
East Carefree Highway
Use the left lane.
16
Turn left onto North Tom Darlington Drive
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Tom Darlington Drive
Use the left lane.
17
Turn slight right onto North Bloody Basin Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Bloody Basin Road
18
Arrive at destination
North Tranquil Trail
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 31.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 15.9 miles from Glendale, 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 135 decision points cluster between mile 1.3 and 18.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
West Northern Avenue
Turn right onto West Northern Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
13 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward AZ 101 Loop West, AZ 101 Loop East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 214C
Toward AZ 101 Loop West, AZ 101 Loop East
7
13.4 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Keep slight right at fork toward AZ 101 Loop East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward AZ 101 Loop East
7
17.8 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward Cave Creek Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 28
Toward Cave Creek Road
6
18.2 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Cave Creek Road, National Memorial Cemetery
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward Cave Creek Road, National Memorial Cemet...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.35 one way
$12.71 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $6.73 | $13.45 |
| premium | $5.59 | $7.02 | $14.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.04 | $14.09 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.2 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 | 9.6 | 0 | $3.35 | $1.53 |
| Efficient EV | 8 | 0 | $2.79 | $1.28 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.8 | 0 | $4.47 | $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
Carefree, AZ
Late night in Carefree on Tuesday
Local time
2:12 AM
MST
Current temp
77°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
7 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
51m 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?
About a third of this 31.9-mile drive is on the highway, specifically the Black Canyon Freeway. After exiting the freeway, you'll transition to surface streets, with the longest continuous stretch on North Cave Creek Road covering 9.7 miles. Expect a mix of urban merging and then cruising on surface roads as you head north. The change from freeway to surface roads is quite distinct, so pay attention to speed limit changes.
33% 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: 9.7 mi on North Cave Creek Road.
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 1.3 miles in near West Northern Avenue.
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 13 decision points packed into just 31.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 51m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.3 miles (West Northern Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 13 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Glendale, AZ to Carefree, AZ, road signs begin pointing toward National Memorial Cemetery along the way.
National Memorial Cemetery
18.2 mi in
|
~27m
About the Cities
Starting in Glendale, AZ
Full guide →Glendale is one of the largest suburbs in the metropolitan Phoenix area, and is rapidly growing as a media/entertainment center in the Valley of the Sun. It was home to over 250,000 people in 2019.
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 51m. Total distance: 31.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
51m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (33%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.7 miles on North Cave Creek Road. 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 Carefree, 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 1.3 miles (West Northern Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 13 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.4 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 Carefree, 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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