Origin
Tempe Junction, AZ
Late night in Tempe Junction on Tuesday
Local time
1:10 AM
MST
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Tempe Junction, AZ to Glendale, 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
29m
Distance
19 mi
31 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 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Tempe Junction, AZ
Abhishek Navlakha
Glendale, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning just 19.2 miles, this quick trip from Tempe Junction to Glendale is a straightforward journey through the Desert Southwest. You can comfortably complete the drive in about 27 minutes, making it a perfect one-day excursion that requires no overnight planning. With an estimated fuel cost of only $4, it is an incredibly budget-friendly route. Because this trek stays entirely on local roads, you avoid the complexity of major highway systems. It is an ideal option if you need to move between these two Arizona hubs without the stress of long-distance travel.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Avenue | 7.1 mi | 12m |
| Red Mountain Freeway | 4.3 mi | 4m |
| Papago Freeway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| West University Drive | 1 mi | 1m |
| North Priest Drive | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Priest Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Farmer Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Grand Avenue
— 7.1 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Tempe Junction, AZ and Glendale, AZ.
1
Start on West 13th Street
236 ft
·
13 sec
·
West 13th Street
2
Turn right onto South Farmer Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Farmer Avenue
3
Turn left onto West University Drive
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West University Drive
4
Turn right onto South Priest Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Priest Drive
5
Continue on North Priest Drive
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Priest Drive
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp onto Red Mountain Freeeway
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Red Mountain Freeeway
Toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harbor Airport
Use the left lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
36 sec
Toward AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
8
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
4.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 10 West
Use the slight left lane.
10
Merge onto I 10
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
11
Continue on I 10
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
12
Continue on I 10
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
Exit 143C
Toward 19th Avenue, Grand Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Turn right onto North 19th Avenue
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
North 19th Avenue
Use the left / right lanes.
15
Turn slight left onto Grand Avenue
7.1 mi
·
12 min
·
Grand Avenue
Use the left / slight left lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
US 60
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 2.7 and 11.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
2.7 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Red Mountain Freeeway
Take the ramp onto Red Mountain Freeeway toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harbor Airport
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harb...
5
2.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight right at fork toward AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
6
7.5 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward I 10 West
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 10 West
8
11.3 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward 19th Avenue, Grand Avenue
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 143C
Toward 19th Avenue, Grand Avenue
6
11.6 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
North 19th Avenue
Turn right onto North 19th Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.79 one way
$7.57 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $4.01 | $8.01 |
| premium | $5.59 | $4.18 | $8.36 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.19 | $8.39 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.66 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.66 | $1.22 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Glendale, AZ
Late night in Glendale on Tuesday
Local time
1:10 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
22 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
29m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you engaged behind the wheel. Unlike a monotonous interstate grind, this 0% highway route relies on surface streets like South Farmer Avenue, West University Drive, and South Priest Drive to navigate the urban landscape. You will find that the road demands your attention due to the frequent turns required to reach your destination. Since there are no highway stretches, the pace remains consistent and controlled throughout the short 19.2-mile journey. Prepare for a practical, hands-on driving experience that focuses on local navigation rather than open-road cruising.
35% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.1 mi on Grand Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 2.7 miles in near Red Mountain Freeeway.
Driving Effort
8/10
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 19 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.7 miles (Red Mountain Freeeway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 7.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Glendale, AZ
Full guide →Glendale is one of the largest suburbs in the metropolitan Phoenix area, and is rapidly growing as a media/entertainment center in the Valley of the Sun. It was home to over 250,000 people in 2019.
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 29m. Total distance: 19 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (35%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.1 miles on Grand Avenue. 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 Glendale, 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 2.7 miles (Red Mountain Freeeway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 7.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Glendale, 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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