Origin
Sun Lakes, AZ
Late night in Sun Lakes on Tuesday
Local time
2:14 AM
MST
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sun Lakes, AZ to Tempe, AZ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
18 mi
29 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sun Lakes, AZ
Kris Møklebust
Tempe, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Sun Lakes to Tempe is 18 miles and takes about 28 minutes via Price Freeway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short journey stays within Arizona's Desert Southwest region, offering a straightforward drive. It's a quick hop, perfect for a day trip or a simple transfer between locations. Consider this route when you need to get from the Sun Lakes area to Tempe efficiently, with minimal time spent on the road.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Price Freeway | 7 mi | 8m |
| South Alma School Road | 5 mi | 9m |
| East Broadway Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Santan Freeway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| East Riggs Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Glenburn Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South McClintock Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Price Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Price Freeway
— 7 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sun Lakes, AZ and Tempe, AZ.
1
Start on East Bud Court
144 ft
·
10 sec
·
East Bud Court
2
Turn left onto South Glenburn Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Glenburn Drive
3
Turn right onto East Riggs Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
East Riggs Road
4
Turn left onto South Alma School Road
5.0 mi
·
9 min
·
South Alma School Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
Toward AZ 202 Loop West
Use the left lane.
6
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Santan Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
1.2 mi
·
1 min
Exit 50A
Toward AZ 101 Loop North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop
7.0 mi
·
8 min
·
Price Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 53
Toward Broadway Road, Apache Boulevard
Use the slight right lane.
10
Turn straight onto South Price Road
302 ft
·
7 sec
·
South Price Road
11
Turn left onto East Broadway Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
East Broadway Road
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
12
Turn right onto South McClintock Drive
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
South McClintock Drive
13
Turn left onto US 80 Hist
137 ft
·
10 sec
·
East Apache Boulevard
Use the left lane.
14
Arrive at destination
US 80 Hist
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 15.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
South Alma School Road
Turn left onto South Alma School Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
6.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Turn left toward AZ 202 Loop West
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward AZ 202 Loop West
5
6.8 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
AZ 202 Loop / Santan Freeway
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop / Santan Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
7.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward AZ 101 Loop North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 50A
Toward AZ 101 Loop North
8
15.9 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward Broadway Road, Apache Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 53
Toward Broadway Road, Apache Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.59 one way
$7.17 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $3.79 | $7.59 |
| premium | $5.59 | $3.96 | $7.92 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.97 | $7.95 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.89 | $0.86 |
| Efficient EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.58 | $0.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
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
Tempe, AZ
Late night in Tempe on Tuesday
Local time
2:14 AM
MST
Current temp
84°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
25 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
28m 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 drive is a mixed bag, with 44% of the journey on highways. You'll experience stretches of faster travel, including a continuous 7-mile segment on the Price Freeway. Expect the road to transition from suburban arterials like South Alma School Road to the more direct Price Freeway before concluding on East Broadway Road. The profile suggests a blend of typical urban and suburban driving conditions.
44% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7 mi on Price Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in near South Alma School Road.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 18 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles (South Alma School Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 6.8 miles (AZ 202 Loop / Santan Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Sun Lakes, AZ
Full guide →Arriving in Tempe, AZ
Full guide →Tempe is a city of 180,587 (2020) in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona, best known as the home of Arizona State University (ASU). Its younger, student-heavy population allows it to offer a vibrant nightlife that is relatively rare in Arizona.
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 28m. Total distance: 18 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (44%). 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 7 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 Tempe, 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 1.4 miles (South Alma School Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 6.8 miles (AZ 202 Loop / Santan Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. 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 Tempe, 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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