Origin
Surprise, AZ
Late night in Surprise on Tuesday
Local time
3:15 AM
MST
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Surprise, AZ to Mesa, 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
58m
Distance
43.3 mi
70 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 54m
★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 2m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 55m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Surprise, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Mesa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 43.3-mile drive from Surprise, AZ, to Mesa, AZ, is a straightforward local road trip that should take you about 51 minutes to complete. With no highway driving, expect a turn-heavy experience as you navigate through the Desert Southwest region. This short distance makes it an ideal day trip, and you can anticipate a fuel cost of around $9 for the journey. The route is best suited for a single day, allowing you to focus on reaching your destination without needing an overnight stop. It's a practical option for getting between these two points within Arizona.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Papago Freeway | 11.9 mi | 13m |
| Red Mountain Freeway | 11.7 mi | 13m |
| Agua Fria Freeway | 8.9 mi | 10m |
| Grand Avenue | 4.6 mi | 7m |
| West University Drive | 2 mi | 3m |
| North Alma School Road | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| North Nash Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Papago Freeway
— 11.9 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Surprise, AZ and Mesa, AZ.
1
Start on North Nash Street
0.3 mi
·
53 sec
·
North Nash Street
2
At end of road, turn left onto West Santa Fe Drive
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
West Santa Fe Drive
3
Turn right onto West Greenway Road
217 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Greenway Road
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto US 60
4.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Grand Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward AZ 101 Loop South
6
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop
8.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Agua Fria Freeway
Use the straight / left lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Exit 1B
Toward I 10 East: Phoenix
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto I 10
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 10
0.5 mi
·
35 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
10
Continue on I 10
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit onto Red Mountain Freeway
0.1 mi
·
7 sec
·
Red Mountain Freeway
Exit 147
Toward AZ 51 North, AZ 202 Loop East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto Red Mountain Freeway
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Red Mountain Freeway
Exit 147A
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
13
Keep slight left at fork onto Red Mountain Freeway
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
Exit 147A
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
Exit 11
Toward Alma School Road
Use the slight right lane.
15
Turn right onto North Alma School Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Alma School Road
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
16
Turn left onto West University Drive
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West University Drive
Use the left lane.
17
Arrive at destination
East University Drive
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
22 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 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21.7 miles from Surprise, 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 0.5 and 39.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Greenway Road
Turn right onto West Greenway Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
14.5 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 10 East: Phoenix
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 1B
Toward I 10 East: Phoenix
8
27.7 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
Red Mountain Freeway
Take the exit onto Red Mountain Freeway toward AZ 51 North, AZ 202 Loop East
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 147
Toward AZ 51 North, AZ 202 Loop East
8
28.2 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
Red Mountain Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto Red Mountain Freeway toward AZ 202 Loop East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 147A
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
7
39.4 mi into trip
|
~50m in
Take the exit toward Alma School Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 11
Toward Alma School Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.63 one way
$17.25 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $9.13 | $18.26 |
| premium | $5.59 | $9.53 | $19.06 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.56 | $19.12 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 15.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13 | 0 | $4.55 | $2.08 |
| Efficient EV | 10.8 | 0 | $3.79 | $1.73 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 17.3 | 0 | $6.06 | $2.77 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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
Mesa, AZ
Late night in Mesa on Tuesday
Local time
3:15 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
58m 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?
Prepare for a route that relies entirely on local roads, with a 0% highway share. The drive is characterized by frequent turns, making it a dynamic experience behind the wheel. You won't encounter long stretches of uninterrupted driving, so staying alert and paying attention to navigation will be key. This isn't a high-speed journey; rather, it's a more engaged, stop-and-go style of travel through established communities within the Desert Southwest.
75% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.9 mi on Papago Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Papago Freeway and Red Mountain Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near West Greenway Road.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 43.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 58m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (West Greenway Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 27.7 miles (Red Mountain Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Starting in Surprise, AZ
Full guide →Sun City is a suburb 20 miles (30km) northwest of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It was built as a planned retirement community in Maricopa County in the 1960s. An adjacent retirement community Sun City West was built in the late 1970s; there is also a Sun City Grand. Directly northwest of the three "Sun City" suburbs is Surprise, Arizona.
Arriving 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
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 58m. Total distance: 43.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
58m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.9 miles on Papago 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 Mesa, 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 0.5 miles (West Greenway Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 27.7 miles (Red Mountain Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Mesa, 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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