Origin
Oro Valley, AZ
Late night in Oro Valley on Sunday
Local time
12:52 AM
MST
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Oro Valley, AZ to Tempe Junction, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
2h
Distance
105.1 mi
169 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$21
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 51m
★
6 AM
2h 0m
8 AM
2h 17m
10 AM
2h 6m
12 PM
2h 4m
3 PM
2h 7m
5 PM
2h 17m
8 PM
1h 55m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Oro Valley, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Tempe Junction, AZ
Abhishek Navlakha
Trip Overview
This 105.1-mile drive from Oro Valley to Tempe Junction, Arizona, is a straightforward 2-hour trip, perfect for a single day. You'll navigate primarily using the Casa Grande-Tucson Highway, Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway, and Maricopa Freeway. With a fuel cost estimated at $21, this route offers an economical way to travel within the Desert Southwest region. Given its manageable distance and duration, it's an ideal candidate for a day trip, allowing you to reach your destination without needing an overnight stop. The overall feel is that of a practical, local transit between two points in the same state.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
52.5 miles from Oro Valley, AZ
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h 1m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Casa Grande-Tucson Highway | 46.3 mi | 46m |
| Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway | 38.1 mi | 38m |
| Maricopa Freeway | 5.8 mi | 6m |
| West Magee Road | 3.7 mi | 6m |
| West Cortaro Farms Road | 3.4 mi | 6m |
| North Oracle Road | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| South Priest Drive | 2 mi | 4m |
| West Broadway Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
— 46.3 mi, about 46m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Oro Valley, AZ and Tempe Junction, AZ.
1
Start on West Oro Place
249 ft
·
14 sec
·
West Oro Place
2
Turn left onto North Valle del Oro Drive
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
North Valle del Oro Drive
3
Turn right onto West Greenock Drive
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
West Greenock Drive
4
Turn right onto AZ 77; US 80 Hist
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
North Oracle Road
5
Turn right onto West Magee Road
3.7 mi
·
6 min
·
West Magee Road
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on West Cortaro Farms Road
3.4 mi
·
6 min
·
West Cortaro Farms Road
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto North Casa Grande Highway
176 ft
·
3 sec
·
North Casa Grande Highway
8
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 246
Toward I 10 West
9
Merge onto I 10
46 mi
·
46 min
·
Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on I 10
38 mi
·
38 min
·
Phoenix-Casa Grande Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on I 10
5.8 mi
·
6 min
·
Maricopa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Exit 155
Toward Baseline Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn right onto West Baseline Road
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
West Baseline Road
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
14
Turn left onto South Priest Drive
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
South Priest Drive
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto West Broadway Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Broadway Road
Use the right lane.
16
Turn left onto South Roosevelt Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Roosevelt Street
Use the left lane.
17
At end of road, turn right onto West 13th Street
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
·
West 13th Street
18
Arrive at destination
West 13th Street
Trip Plan
For this 2-hour, 105.1-mile drive, flexibility is your advantage. You can easily complete this trip in a single day, so consider departing mid-morning to avoid the earliest rush and allow for a leisurely pace. Since there are no specific stops recommended, plan your fuel needs before you leave Oro Valley, keeping the $21 estimated fuel cost in mind. The longest stretch is over 46 miles, so ensure you're comfortable with that duration between potential refueling points. Pay attention to local traffic patterns as you approach and navigate through the greater Phoenix area.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 52.5 miles from Oro Valley, AZ, or about 1h 1m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 46.3 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 23 miles or 31m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 52.5 miles or 1h 1m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 35m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Tempe Junction, AZ than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Oro Valley, AZ so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Oro Valley, AZ
This is one driving day of about 105.1 miles and 2h.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 23 miles from Oro Valley, AZ.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
The longest stretch is on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway for about 46.3 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
53 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 23 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 52.5 miles from Oro Valley, 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 3.1 and 104.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
3.1 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
West Magee Road
Turn right onto West Magee Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
101 mi into trip
|
~1h 51m in
Take the exit toward Baseline Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 155
Toward Baseline Road
6
101.5 mi into trip
|
~1h 52m in
|
South Priest Drive
Turn left onto South Priest Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
103.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 56m in
|
West Broadway Road
Turn right onto West Broadway Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
104.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 58m in
|
South Roosevelt Street
Turn left onto South Roosevelt Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$20.94 one way
$41.87 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
37 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $22.16 | $44.32 |
| premium | $5.59 | $23.13 | $46.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $23.20 | $46.41 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$21
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$46–$71
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 36.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $11 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 31.5 | 0 | $11.04 | $5.04 |
| Efficient EV | 26.3 | 0 | $9.20 | $4.20 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 42 | 0 | $14.71 | $6.73 |
Gas CO2
37 kg
EV CO2
12 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
Tempe Junction, AZ
Late night in Tempe Junction on Sunday
Local time
12:52 AM
MST
Current temp
89°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
2h 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.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
National Monument
An Ancestral Sonoran Desert People's farming community and "Great House" are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether a gathering place for people or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of...
10 mi from route
~26 min detour
Free
near mile 65.2
View on nps.gov
Saguaro National Park
National Park
Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are pr...
16 mi from route
~41 min detour
$25
near mile 3.6
View on nps.gov
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a 'turn-heavy local drive' for this 105.1-mile journey. While about 5% of the route utilizes highway, the majority involves navigating through local roads and connecting highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 46.3 miles on the Casa Grande-Tucson Highway. This suggests a drive with frequent changes in speed and direction, requiring your attention as you transition between different road types. It's not a monotonous interstate cruise, but rather a more engaged experience of local Arizona roadways.
Only 5% 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: 46.3 mi on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 3.1 miles in near West Magee Road.
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 105.1 miles you will encounter 13 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 3.1 miles (West Magee Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 101 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 101.5 miles (South Priest Drive): Lane positioning matters here.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h. Total distance: 105.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (5%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 46.3 miles on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: at 3.1 miles (West Magee Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 101 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 101.5 miles (South Priest Drive): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and Saguaro National Park. 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 Tempe Junction, 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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