Origin
Maricopa, AZ
Night in Maricopa on Saturday
Local time
9:19 PM
MST
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Maricopa, AZ to Buckeye, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 27m
Distance
70.7 mi
114 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$14
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 21m
★
6 AM
1h 28m
8 AM
1h 41m
10 AM
1h 33m
12 PM
1h 31m
3 PM
1h 33m
5 PM
1h 41m
8 PM
1h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Maricopa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Buckeye, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Maricopa, AZ to Buckeye, AZ is 70.7 miles and takes about 1h 27m via Papago Freeway, with a fuel budget near $14 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Arizona's Desert Southwest region, offering a straightforward connection between two desert communities. Expect a mixed driving experience as you navigate through and between these areas. Given its relatively short distance and duration, this trip is easily manageable as a same-day excursion, allowing for flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Papago Freeway | 24.3 mi | 28m |
| Maricopa Freeway | 12 mi | 13m |
| Maricopa Road | 11.8 mi | 13m |
| Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway | 9.9 mi | 10m |
| South Miller Road | 3.9 mi | 6m |
| Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| North John Wayne Parkway | 2.3 mi | 4m |
| West Queen Creek Road | 1.9 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Papago Freeway
— 24.3 mi, about 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Maricopa, AZ and Buckeye, AZ.
1
Start on AZ 347
124 ft
·
3 sec
·
North John Wayne Parkway
2
Continue on AZ 347
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
North John Wayne Parkway
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on AZ 347
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Maricopa Road
4
Continue on AZ 347
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
West Queen Creek Road
5
Turn left
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 10 West: Phoenix
Use the left lane.
6
Merge onto I 10
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway
7
Continue on I 10
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Maricopa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 10
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the slight left lane.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto I 10
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on I 10
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
11
Continue on I 10
20 mi
·
22 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on I 10
9.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
13
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
Exit 114
Toward Buckeye
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Continue on South Miller Road
3.9 mi
·
6 min
·
South Miller Road
Use the straight / left lanes.
15
Continue on North 1st Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
North 1st Street
16
Turn left onto US 80 Hist
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
East Monroe Avenue
Use the left lane.
17
Arrive at destination
US 80 Hist
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
35 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 16 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 35.3 miles from Maricopa, 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 15.9 and 70.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
15.9 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Turn left toward I 10 West: Phoenix
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 10 West: Phoenix
6
30.7 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
I 10 / Papago Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 10 / Papago Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
6
32.6 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
I 10 / Papago Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 10 / Papago Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
65.4 mi into trip
|
~1h 18m in
Take the exit toward Buckeye
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 114
Toward Buckeye
6
70.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 27m in
|
US 80 Hist / East Monroe Avenue
Turn left onto US 80 Hist / East Monroe Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$14.08 one way
$28.17 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
25 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $14.91 | $29.81 |
| premium | $5.59 | $15.56 | $31.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $15.61 | $31.22 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$14
Estimated CO2 emission: 24.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 21.2 | 0 | $7.42 | $3.39 |
| Efficient EV | 17.7 | 0 | $6.19 | $2.83 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 28.3 | 0 | $9.90 | $4.52 |
Gas CO2
25 kg
EV CO2
8 kg (68% 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
Buckeye, AZ
Night in Buckeye on Saturday
Local time
9:19 PM
MST
Current temp
89°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
32 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
1h 27m 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 is a mixed drive, with 55% of the route utilizing highways. You'll experience stretches on the Papago Freeway and Maricopa Freeway, interspersed with local roads like Maricopa Road. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 24.3 miles on the Papago Freeway, providing a segment of consistent highway travel. As you progress, the road character will shift between more developed freeway sections and potentially more local, community-oriented roads as you approach Buckeye.
55% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 24.3 mi on Papago 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 15.9 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 70.7 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 15.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 30.7 miles (I 10 / Papago Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 32.6 miles (I 10 / Papago Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 27m. Total distance: 70.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (55%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 24.3 miles on Papago 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 15.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 30.7 miles (I 10 / Papago Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 32.6 miles (I 10 / Papago Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Buckeye, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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