Origin
Picture Rocks, AZ
Late night in Picture Rocks on Sunday
Local time
4:32 AM
MST
Current temp
88°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Picture Rocks, AZ to Tucson, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
29.7 mi
48 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 44m
★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Picture Rocks, AZ
Mark Direen
Tucson, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Picture Rocks, AZ to Tucson, AZ is 29.7 miles and takes about 47 minutes via Casa Grande-Tucson Highway and North Freeway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Desert Southwest region, connecting two points in Arizona. Expect a local drive with frequent turns, making it feel more like navigating within a metro area than a long-distance highway journey. If you're looking for a straightforward drive with minimal time commitment, this route fits the bill for a quick hop between these two locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Casa Grande-Tucson Highway | 11.1 mi | 12m |
| West Avra Valley Road | 5.1 mi | 7m |
| North Freeway | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| West Broadway Boulevard | 2.9 mi | 6m |
| North Sandario Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| North Avra Road | 1.4 mi | 5m |
| West Emigh Road | 1 mi | 3m |
| North Sanders Road | 1 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
— 11.1 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Picture Rocks, AZ and Tucson, AZ.
1
Start on North Avra Road
1.4 mi
·
5 min
·
North Avra Road
2
Turn slight right onto West Emigh Road
1.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West Emigh Road
3
Turn left onto North Sanders Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
North Sanders Road
4
At end of road, turn right onto West Twin Peaks Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West Twin Peaks Road
5
Enter roundabout onto North Sandario Road
154 ft
·
6 sec
·
North Sandario Road
6
Continue on North Sandario Road
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
North Sandario Road
7
Turn right onto West Avra Valley Road
5.1 mi
·
7 min
·
West Avra Valley Road
8
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
9
Merge onto I 10
11 mi
·
12 min
·
Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on I 10
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
North Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
Exit 258
Toward Congress Street, Broadway Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Turn straight onto North Freeway Road
159 ft
·
4 sec
·
North Freeway Road
13
Turn left onto West Congress Street
0.3 mi
·
56 sec
·
West Congress Street
14
Continue on West Broadway Boulevard
2.9 mi
·
6 min
·
West Broadway Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
15
Turn left onto North Country Club Road
131 ft
·
8 sec
·
North Country Club Road
16
Arrive at destination
North Country Club Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 2.4 and 26 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
2.4 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
North Sanders Road
Turn left onto North Sanders Road
Navigation decision point
5
3.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
West Twin Peaks Road
At end of road, turn right onto West Twin Peaks Road
Navigation decision point
4
4.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
North Sandario Road
Enter roundabout onto North Sandario Road
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
11.4 mi into trip
|
~22m in
|
I 10 / Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
Merge onto I 10 / Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
26 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Take the exit toward Congress Street, Broadway Boulevard
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 258
Toward Congress Street, Broadway Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.92 one way
$11.83 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $6.26 | $12.52 |
| premium | $5.59 | $6.54 | $13.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.56 | $13.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.12 | $1.43 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.60 | $1.19 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.9 | 0 | $4.16 | $1.90 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Tucson, AZ
Late night in Tucson on Sunday
Local time
4:32 AM
MST
Current temp
54°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
34 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
47m 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 offers a turn-heavy local drive, with only 12% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a mix of local roads, including West Avra Valley Road and parts of the Casa Grande-Tucson Highway, before merging onto the North Freeway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.1 miles on the Casa Grande-Tucson Highway. Be prepared for frequent adjustments in direction as you navigate through residential and commercial areas, rather than a steady cruise on a single highway.
Only 12% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.1 mi on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway.
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 2.4 miles in near North Sanders Road.
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 47m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.4 miles (North Sanders Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.4 miles (West Twin Peaks Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles (North Sandario Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
About the Cities
Starting in Picture Rocks, AZ
Full guide →Arriving in Tucson, AZ
Full guide →Tucson (TOO-sawn), also known as the "Old Pueblo", is the second-largest city in the state of Arizona and the county seat of Pima County in the Sonoran Desert. It is at a higher elevation than nearby Phoenix and is correspondingly cooler. Although with half a million residents it is smaller than the capital city, its cultural life is just as vibrant.
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 47m. Total distance: 29.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (12%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.1 miles on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway. 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 2.4 miles (North Sanders Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.4 miles (West Twin Peaks Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles (North Sandario Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Yes — 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 Tucson, 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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