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Trip from Blackwater, AZ to Gilbert, AZ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

48m

Distance

29.9 mi

48 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 44m ★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m

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

Downtown Blackwater, AZ, AZ

Blackwater, AZ

Yanming Guo

city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States

Gilbert, AZ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Blackwater, AZ to Gilbert, AZ covers 29.9 miles and takes about 48m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Junction I-10-Mesa Highway, South Gilbert Road, Blackwater School Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.2 miles on Junction I-10-Mesa Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.96 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 29.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

48m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (44%). Straightforward navigation.

Drive Character

The drive from Blackwater, AZ to Gilbert, AZ covers 29.9 miles and takes about 48m, 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 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Junction I-10-Mesa Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 13.2 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes around 3.7 miles in near AZ 87 / Junction I-10-Mesa Highway.

Driving Effort 2/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Blackwater, AZ to Gilbert, AZ is easy. At 48m with 44% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 3.7 miles (AZ 87 / Junction I-10-Mesa Highway): Navigation decision point; at 17 miles (BIA 28 / South Gilbert Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 29.7 miles (East Cullumber Avenue): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 5 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

4
3.7 mi into trip | ~6m in | AZ 87 / Junction I-10-Mesa Highway

At end of road, turn right onto AZ 87 / Junction I-10-Mesa Highway

Navigation decision point

6
17 mi into trip | ~26m in | BIA 28 / South Gilbert Road

Turn right onto BIA 28 / South Gilbert Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
29.7 mi into trip | ~47m in | East Cullumber Avenue

Turn right onto East Cullumber Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
29.8 mi into trip | ~47m in | North Elm Street

Turn right onto North Elm Street

Navigation decision point

4
29.9 mi into trip | ~47m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Junction I-10-Mesa Highway 13.2 mi 19m
South Gilbert Road 12.8 mi 21m
Blackwater School Road 3.7 mi 6m
East Cullumber Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
North Elm Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Junction I-10-Mesa Highway — 13.2 mi, about 19m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Blackwater, AZ and Gilbert, AZ.

1

Start on Blackwater School Road

3.7 mi · 6 min · Blackwater School Road
2

At end of road, turn right onto AZ 87

13 mi · 19 min · Junction I-10-Mesa Highway
3

Turn right onto BIA 28

13 mi · 21 min · South Gilbert Road
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto East Cullumber Avenue

436 ft · 21 sec · East Cullumber Avenue
5

Turn right onto North Elm Street

244 ft · 10 sec · North Elm Street
6

Turn right

203 ft · 14 sec
7

Arrive at destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.96 one way

$11.91 round trip

$5.06/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.36 $6.30 $12.61
premium $5.59 $6.58 $13.16
diesel $5.61 $6.60 $13.20

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9 0 $3.14 $1.44
Efficient EV 7.5 0 $2.62 $1.20
EV Truck/SUV 12 0 $4.19 $1.91

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 13, 2026

Origin

Blackwater, AZ

Late night in Blackwater on Friday

Local time

4:17 AM

MST

Current temp

92°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Gilbert, AZ

Late night in Gilbert on Friday

Local time

4:17 AM

MST

Current temp

93°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

1 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

48m 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 Blackwater, AZ to Gilbert, AZ covers 29.9 miles and takes about 48m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Junction I-10-Mesa Highway, South Gilbert Road, Blackwater School Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 15 miles from Blackwater, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.96 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 Blackwater, AZ to Gilbert, AZ is easy. At 48m with 44% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

The main spots that need attention: at 3.7 miles (AZ 87 / Junction I-10-Mesa Highway): Navigation decision point; at 17 miles (BIA 28 / South Gilbert Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 29.7 miles (East Cullumber Avenue): Navigation decision point.

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

How this page is built

Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.

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