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Trip from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 57m

Distance

107.8 mi

173 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$21

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 26 min
4 AM
1h 49m ★
6 AM
1h 58m
8 AM
2h 15m
10 AM
2h 4m
12 PM
2h 2m
3 PM
2h 5m
5 PM
2h 14m
8 PM
1h 53m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

census designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States

Ajo, AZ

Wikimedia Commons

city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States

Surprise, AZ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ covers 107.8 miles and takes about 1h 57m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on North Pizal Lane, West Solana Avenue, North 2nd Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $21.48 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.

Midpoint

53.9 miles from Ajo, AZ

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 58m into the drive .

About the Cities

Arriving 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.

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 1h 57m. Total distance: 107.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 57m drive, comfortable solo distance.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 57m drive with frequent turns across 107.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 22 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Pizal Lane is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ is easy. At 1h 57m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
North Pizal Lane
West Solana Avenue
North 2nd Avenue
North Ajo Gila Bend Highway
Gila Bend-Lukeville Highway
West Pima Street
Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway
Highway 85

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: North Pizal Lane — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Ajo, AZ and Surprise, AZ.

1

Start on East Taladro Avenue

0.1 mi · 28 sec · East Taladro Avenue
2

Continue on North Pizal Lane

0.2 mi · 28 sec · North Pizal Lane
3

Continue on West Solana Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · West Solana Avenue
4

Continue on North 2nd Avenue

1.0 mi · 2 min · North 2nd Avenue
5

Continue on North Ajo Gila Bend Highway

8.1 mi · 10 min · North Ajo Gila Bend Highway
6

Continue on Gila Bend-Lukeville Highway

32 mi · 37 min · Gila Bend-Lukeville Highway
7

At the end of the road, turn left onto West Pima Street

2.1 mi · 4 min · West Pima Street
8

Continue on Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway

0.7 mi · 1 min · Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway
9

Turn left onto Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway

0.3 mi · 44 sec · Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway
10

Continue on Arizona State Highway 85

28 mi · 32 min · Arizona State Highway 85
11

Continue on Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway

1.0 mi · 1 min · Gila Bend-Buckeye Highway
12

Continue on South Oglesby Road

3.7 mi · 5 min · South Oglesby Road
13

Keep slight right to continue on I 10 East: Phoenix

0.7 mi · 1 min · I 10 East: Phoenix
14

Merge slight left onto Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway

10 mi · 10 min · Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
15

Take the exit slight right toward AZ 303 Loop North

1.7 mi · 2 min · AZ 303 Loop North
16

Merge slight left onto Bob Stump Memorial Parkway

10 mi · 11 min · Bob Stump Memorial Parkway
17

Take the exit slight right toward Greenway Road

0.4 mi · 50 sec · Greenway Road
18

Turn right onto West Greenway Road

5.0 mi · 9 min · West Greenway Road
19

Turn left onto West Greenway Road

279 ft · 14 sec · West Greenway Road
20

Turn left onto Santa Fe Drive

0.3 mi · 33 sec · Santa Fe Drive
21

Turn right onto North Nash Street

0.3 mi · 50 sec · North Nash Street
22

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.

Evening Departure

Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 53.9 miles from Ajo, AZ, or about 58m into the drive.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 24 miles or 26m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 53.9 miles or 58m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 1h 36m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Surprise, AZ than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Ajo, AZ so your first major turns are already loaded.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Ajo, AZ

This is one driving day of about 107.8 miles and 1h 57m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 24 miles from Ajo, AZ.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 53.9 mi from Ajo, AZ · 58m into the drive

city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Buckeye, AZ

54 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.

Popular next leg

Buckeye, AZ to Surprise, AZ

31.4 mi · 45m

Pacing Suggestions

Gila Bend, AZ

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 24 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Buckeye, AZ

Meal break

The midpoint is around 53.9 miles from Ajo, AZ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Surprise, AZ

The final approach into Surprise, AZ usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$21.48 one way

$42.95 round trip

$5.06/gal 25.4 MPG avg 38 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.36 $22.73 $45.45
premium $5.59 $23.73 $47.46
diesel $5.61 $23.80 $47.60

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$21

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$46–$71

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 37.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $11 in charging · 0 stops · 66% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 32.3 0 $11.32 $5.17
Efficient EV 27 0 $9.43 $4.31
EV Truck/SUV 43.1 0 $15.09 $6.90

Gas CO2

38 kg

EV CO2

13 kg (66% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Ajo, AZ

Morning in Ajo on Saturday

Local time

8:03 AM

MST

Current temp

84°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Surprise, AZ

Morning in Surprise on Saturday

Local time

8:03 AM

MST

Current temp

88°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

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

4 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

1h 57m 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 Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ covers 107.8 miles and takes about 1h 57m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are North Pizal Lane, West Solana Avenue, North 2nd Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 53.9 miles from Ajo, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $21.48 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.

The drive from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ is easy. At 1h 57m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Ajo, AZ to Surprise, AZ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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