Origin
Las Cruces, NM
Night in Las Cruces on Saturday
Local time
10:44 PM
MDT
Current temp
85°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Las Cruces, NM to Sunland Park, NM
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
51m
Distance
41.5 mi
67 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
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.
Las Cruces, NM
Wikimedia Commons
Sunland Park, NM
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Las Cruces to Sunland Park is 41.5 miles and takes about 51 minutes via Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway and Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Desert Southwest region of New Mexico. Expect a drive with numerous turns, characteristic of local routes rather than open highway cruising. It's a straightforward journey perfect for a quick transit or a leisurely afternoon exploration, with no overnight stay required. Given its brevity, you have plenty of flexibility to depart at your convenience.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway | 22 mi | 22m |
| Camino Real de Tierra Adentro | 13.1 mi | 15m |
| Sunland Park Drive | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| South Main Street | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| McNutt Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North Church Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| South Valley Drive | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Loma Vista Drive | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
— 22 mi, about 22m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Las Cruces, NM and Sunland Park, NM.
1
Start on this road
284 ft
·
22 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right
65 ft
·
6 sec
3
Turn right onto North Church Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Church Street
4
Turn right onto East Amador Avenue
330 ft
·
8 sec
·
East Amador Avenue
5
Turn left onto NM 478
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
South Main Street
6
Turn slight left onto NM 188
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
South Valley Drive
7
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
8
Merge onto I 10
22 mi
·
22 min
·
Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
9
Continue on I 10; US 85; US 180
12 mi
·
14 min
·
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit onto Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
Exit 13
Toward 375 Toll East, US 85 South: Paisano Drive, Sunland Park Drive
Use the slight right lane.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Exit 13
Toward Sunland Park Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork
334 ft
·
8 sec
13
Turn straight onto Sunland Park Drive
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Sunland Park Drive
14
Turn right onto NM 273
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
McNutt Road
15
Turn left onto Loma Vista Drive
86 ft
·
3 sec
·
Loma Vista Drive
16
Keep slight left at fork onto Loma Vista Drive
0.2 mi
·
57 sec
·
Loma Vista Drive
17
At end of road, turn right onto Valle Vista Drive
370 ft
·
16 sec
·
Valle Vista Drive
18
Arrive at destination
Valle Vista Drive
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 41.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.8 miles from Las Cruces, NM, 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 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 41.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
At end of road, turn right
Navigation decision point
8
37.2 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
Take the exit onto Camino Real de Tierra Adentro toward 375 Toll East, US 85 South: Paisano Drive, Sunland Park Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 13
Toward 375 Toll East, US 85 South: Paisano Driv...
7
38.3 mi into trip
|
~45m in
Take the exit toward Sunland Park Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 13
Toward Sunland Park Drive
5
38.5 mi into trip
|
~45m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
41.2 mi into trip
|
~50m in
|
Loma Vista Drive
Keep slight left at fork onto Loma Vista Drive
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.27 one way
$12.53 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $6.88 | $13.76 |
| premium | $4.56 | $7.45 | $14.90 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.16 | $18.33 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.5 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 | 12.5 | 0 | $4.36 | $1.99 |
| Efficient EV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.63 | $1.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.6 | 0 | $5.81 | $2.66 |
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
Sunland Park, NM
Night in Sunland Park on Saturday
Local time
10:44 PM
MDT
Current temp
83°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
2 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?
This route is characterized as 'turn-heavy,' meaning you'll be navigating a series of turns as you make your way from Las Cruces to Sunland Park. With a 0% highway share, you won't encounter any interstate driving here; instead, you'll be on local roads for the entire 41.5 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll experience is 22 miles along Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. Prepare for a local driving feel, where the pace is dictated by city streets and various intersections rather than high-speed travel.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22 mi on Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 41.5 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 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 37.2 miles (Camino Real de Tierra Adentro): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 38.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Las Cruces, NM to Sunland Park, NM, road signs begin pointing toward 375 Toll East along the way.
375 Toll East
37.2 mi in
|
~43m
|
via Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 51m. Total distance: 41.5 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.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 22 miles on Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. 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 Sunland Park, NM 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NM can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 37.2 miles (Camino Real de Tierra Adentro): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 38.3 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 Sunland Park, NM 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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