Origin
San Carlos, AZ
Late night in San Carlos on Sunday
Local time
1:52 AM
MST
Current temp
89°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Carlos, AZ to Scottsdale, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
14.5 mi
23 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Carlos, AZ
Andrea Hinojosa
Scottsdale, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
San Carlos, AZ to Scottsdale, AZ is 14.5 miles and takes about 20m via Price Freeway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive will take you from the Desert Southwest region of Arizona to another part of the same region. It's a quick transition, perfect for a day trip or an easy leg of a longer journey. Expect a straightforward drive that gets you from point A to point B efficiently. If you're looking for a simple, no-fuss drive within Arizona, this route fits the bill.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Price Freeway | 5.4 mi | 6m |
| Pima Freeway | 4.9 mi | 5m |
| West Elliot Road | 2.4 mi | 4m |
| East Chaparral Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North Hartford Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Price Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Loughlin Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Price Freeway
— 5.4 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Carlos, AZ and Scottsdale, AZ.
1
Start on this road
294 ft
·
22 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West Loughlin Drive
146 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Loughlin Drive
3
Turn left onto North Hartford Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
North Hartford Street
4
At end of road, turn left onto West Elliot Road
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
West Elliot Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto South Price Road
273 ft
·
5 sec
·
South Price Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward AZ 101 Loop North
7
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop
5.4 mi
·
6 min
·
Price Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on AZ 101 Loop
4.9 mi
·
5 min
·
Pima Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 46
Toward Chaparral Road
Use the slight right lane.
10
Turn left onto East Chaparral Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East Chaparral Road
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
11
Turn left
64 ft
·
4 sec
12
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 13.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Loughlin Drive
Turn right onto West Loughlin Drive
Navigation decision point
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Elliot Road
At end of road, turn left onto West Elliot Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
South Price Road
Turn right onto South Price Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
3.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
AZ 101 Loop / Price Freeway
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop / Price Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.4 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward Chaparral Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 46
Toward Chaparral Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.89 one way
$5.78 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $3.06 | $6.11 |
| premium | $5.59 | $3.19 | $6.38 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.20 | $6.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.52 | $0.70 |
| Efficient EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.27 | $0.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.03 | $0.93 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Scottsdale, AZ
Late night in Scottsdale on Sunday
Local time
1:52 AM
MST
Current temp
88°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
20m 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 primarily a highway-focused drive, with 71% of the journey on freeways. You'll experience stretches of faster travel, with the longest uninterrupted segment being 5.4 miles on the Price Freeway. The drive largely consists of main roads like the Price Freeway, Pima Freeway, and West Elliot Road, suggesting a consistent pace for most of the trip. Expect a smooth experience on these well-maintained routes, making for an uncomplicated driving experience.
71% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.4 mi on Price Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Price Freeway and Pima Freeway. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near West Loughlin Drive.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 14.5 miles you will encounter 9 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 0.1 miles (West Loughlin Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Elliot Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (South Price Road): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Scottsdale, AZ
Full guide →Founded 1894
Scottsdale is a city in the state of Arizona. Scottsdale is home to many galleries, high quality resorts, and golf courses. It is also one of the wealthier parts of the Phoenix Metro Area.
Top landmarks
- • Taliesin West — Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
- • Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art — art museum
- • Little Red Schoolhouse — now used as the Scottsdale Historical Museum, NRHP-listed
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 20m. Total distance: 14.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (71%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.4 miles on Price Freeway. 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 Scottsdale, AZ 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (West Loughlin Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Elliot Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (South Price Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Scottsdale, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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