Origin
Vail, AZ
Late night in Vail on Tuesday
Local time
2:10 AM
MST
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Vail, AZ to Tucson, 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
27m
Distance
20.9 mi
34 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Vail, AZ
Zsolt Pujsz
Tucson, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 20.9-mile drive from Vail to Tucson, Arizona, will take about 27 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. You'll primarily navigate local roads, including the Tucson-Benson Highway, South Alvernon Way, and South Country Club Road, with no highway driving involved. Given the minimal distance and time, you can easily complete this journey without needing an overnight stay. Budget around $4 for fuel for this trip. The overall feel is a straightforward local transit through the Desert Southwest region.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tucson-Benson Highway | 13.7 mi | 14m |
| South Alvernon Way | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| South Country Club Road | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| East Colossal Cave Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| East Barraza Aviation Highway | 1 mi | 1m |
| North Country Club Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Tucson-Benson Highway
— 13.7 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Vail, AZ and Tucson, AZ.
1
Start on East Colossal Cave Road
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Colossal Cave Road
2
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I 10 West: Tucson
3
Merge onto I 10
14 mi
·
14 min
·
Tucson-Benson Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 265
Toward Alvernon Way North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Turn straight onto South Alvernon Way
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
South Alvernon Way
Use the left lane.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto South Alvernon Way
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South Alvernon Way
Toward Alvernon Way
7
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
8
Turn straight onto AZ 210
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
East Barraza Aviation Highway
9
Turn right onto South Country Club Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
South Country Club Road
10
Continue on North Country Club Road
91 ft
·
2 sec
·
North Country Club Road
Use the left lane.
11
Arrive at destination
North Country Club Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 17.2 — 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
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward I 10 West: Tucson
Navigation decision point
Toward I 10 West: Tucson
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 10 / Tucson-Benson Highway
Merge onto I 10 / Tucson-Benson Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
15.4 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward Alvernon Way North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 265
Toward Alvernon Way North
3
16 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
South Alvernon Way
Turn straight onto South Alvernon Way
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
17.2 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
South Alvernon Way
Keep slight right at fork onto South Alvernon Way toward Alvernon Way
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward Alvernon Way
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.16 one way
$8.33 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $4.41 | $8.81 |
| premium | $5.59 | $4.60 | $9.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.61 | $9.23 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.3 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 | 6.3 | 0 | $2.19 | $1.00 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.83 | $0.84 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.93 | $1.34 |
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
Tucson, AZ
Late night in Tucson on Tuesday
Local time
2:10 AM
MST
Current temp
83°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
35 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
27m 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 on this route, characterized by its continuous engagement with city streets and local thoroughfares rather than open highway. With a 0% highway share, this drive keeps you connected to the landscape at a more intimate pace. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 13.7 miles along the Tucson-Benson Highway. This road profile suggests a drive where you'll be making frequent adjustments, offering a dynamic driving experience without the monotony of long highway stretches.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.7 mi on Tucson-Benson Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 20.9 miles you will encounter 7 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 1.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.7 miles (I 10 / Tucson-Benson Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Vail, AZ to Tucson, AZ, road signs begin pointing toward Alvernon Way North along the way.
Alvernon Way North
15.4 mi in
|
~17m
About the Cities
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 27m. Total distance: 20.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.7 miles on Tucson-Benson 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 1.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.7 miles (I 10 / Tucson-Benson Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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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