Origin
Mesa, AZ
Evening in Mesa on Saturday
Local time
6:58 PM
MST
Current temp
80°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mesa, AZ to Sun Lakes, AZ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 6, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
17.4 mi
28 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mesa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Sun Lakes, AZ
Kris Møklebust
Trip Overview
The drive from Mesa, AZ to Sun Lakes, AZ covers 17.4 miles and takes about 31m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Arizona Avenue, North Country Club Drive, East Riggs Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10 miles on North Arizona Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.37 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Arizona Avenue | 10 mi | 17m |
| North Country Club Drive | 4 mi | 7m |
| East Riggs Road | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| East University Drive | 1 mi | 2m |
| South Glenburn Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Bud Court | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Arizona Avenue
— 10 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mesa, AZ and Sun Lakes, AZ.
1
Start on East University Drive
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
East University Drive
2
Turn left onto AZ 87
4.0 mi
·
7 min
·
North Country Club Drive
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on AZ 87
10 mi
·
17 min
·
North Arizona Avenue
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto East Riggs Road
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
East Riggs Road
Use the right lane.
5
Turn left onto South Glenburn Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Glenburn Drive
6
Turn right onto East Bud Court
144 ft
·
4 sec
·
East Bud Court
7
Arrive at destination
East Bud Court
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 17.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
AZ 87 / North Country Club Drive
Turn left onto AZ 87 / North Country Club Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
15.1 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
East Riggs Road
Turn right onto East Riggs Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
16.9 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
South Glenburn Drive
Turn left onto South Glenburn Drive
Navigation decision point
3
17.4 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
East Bud Court
Turn right onto East Bud Court
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.37 one way
$6.74 round trip
$4.92/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.20 | $3.56 | $7.13 |
| premium | $5.44 | $3.72 | $7.45 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $3.84 | $7.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.83 | $0.84 |
| Efficient EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.52 | $0.70 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7 | 0 | $2.44 | $1.11 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Sun Lakes, AZ
Evening in Sun Lakes on Saturday
Local time
6:58 PM
MST
Current temp
79°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
1 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
31m 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?
17.4 mi in 31m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10 mi on North Arizona Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1 miles in near AZ 87 / North Country Club Drive.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 31m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (AZ 87 / North Country Club Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.1 miles (East Riggs Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 16.9 miles (South Glenburn Drive): Navigation decision point.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
1,243 ft
1,192 ft
Total Climb
7 ft
Total Descent
57 ft
Highest Point
1,243 ft
Elevation Range
51 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Mesa, AZ
Full guide →Founded 1878
Mesa, population 518,000 (2019), is in Maricopa County. It is Arizona's third-largest city, and is part of the Greater Phoenix urban complex.
Top landmarks
- • Mesa Arizona Temple — the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
- • Mesa Grande — cultural park in Mesa, Arizona, preserving a group of Hohokam structures
- • Buckhorn Baths Motel — historic defunct mineral hot spring resort in Mesa, Arizona
Arriving in Sun Lakes, AZ
Full guide →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 31m. Total distance: 17.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10 miles on North Arizona Avenue. 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 1 miles (AZ 87 / North Country Club Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.1 miles (East Riggs Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 16.9 miles (South Glenburn Drive): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Sun Lakes, 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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