Origin
Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ
Night in Ahwatukee Foothills on Friday
Local time
10:37 PM
MST
Current temp
90°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ to Queen Creek, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
26.1 mi
42 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Queen Creek, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ to Queen Creek, AZ covers 26.1 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Santan Freeway, East Queen Creek Road, Maricopa Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.5 miles on Santan Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.20 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 26.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ to Queen Creek, AZ covers 26.1 miles and takes about 38m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Santan Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 10.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 0.1 miles in near East Kiowa Street.
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 13 decision points packed into just 26.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (East Kiowa Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.8 miles (East Warner Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 13 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Kiowa Street
At end of road, turn left onto East Kiowa Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
East Warner Road
Turn left onto East Warner Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
3.3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the exit toward AZ 202 Loop
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 161A-B
Toward AZ 202 Loop
8
3.5 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight left at fork toward AZ 202 Loop East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 161A
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
7
15.2 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward Lindsay Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 43
Toward Lindsay Road
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santan Freeway | 10.5 mi | 12m |
| East Queen Creek Road | 7.1 mi | 11m |
| Maricopa Freeway | 1.5 mi | 1m |
| South Lindsay Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| East Ocotillo Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| South Hawes Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| South 48th Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| East Warner Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Santan Freeway
— 10.5 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ and Queen Creek, AZ.
1
Start on South Iroquois Drive
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
South Iroquois Drive
2
At end of road, turn left onto East Kiowa Street
191 ft
·
8 sec
·
East Kiowa Street
3
Turn right onto South 48th Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South 48th Street
4
Turn left onto East Warner Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Warner Road
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward I 10 East: Tucson
6
Merge onto I 10
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Maricopa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 161A-B
Toward AZ 202 Loop
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
1.1 mi
·
1 min
Exit 161A
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
11 mi
·
12 min
·
Santan Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 43
Toward Lindsay Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn right onto South Lindsay Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
South Lindsay Road
12
Turn left onto East Queen Creek Road
7.1 mi
·
11 min
·
East Queen Creek Road
Use the left lane.
13
At end of road, turn right onto South Hawes Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
South Hawes Road
14
Turn left onto East Ocotillo Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ocotillo Road
15
Arrive at destination
East Ocotillo Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.20 one way
$10.40 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $5.50 | $11.01 |
| premium | $5.59 | $5.75 | $11.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.76 | $11.53 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.74 | $1.25 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.65 | $1.67 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Queen Creek, AZ
Night in Queen Creek on Friday
Local time
10:37 PM
MST
Current temp
59°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
31 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
38m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ to Queen Creek, AZ covers 26.1 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Santan Freeway, East Queen Creek Road, Maricopa Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13 miles from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.20 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 26.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (East Kiowa Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.8 miles (East Warner Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ to Queen Creek, AZ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Queen Creek, AZ
More trips to Queen Creek, AZ
Explore more options from Ahwatukee Foothills, AZ or browse trips ending in Queen Creek, AZ.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse AZ road trips.