Origin
Catalina, AZ
Late night in Catalina on Saturday
Local time
3:16 AM
MST
Current temp
86°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Catalina, AZ to Tucson, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
23.6 mi
38 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Catalina, AZ
Allie
Tucson, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 23.6-mile drive from Catalina to Tucson, Arizona, will take you about 42 minutes to complete. With a fuel cost estimated at $5, it's an economical option for a single day trip. You'll primarily navigate on North Oracle Road, North Country Club Road, and North 1st Avenue, experiencing a turn-heavy local drive. Since the journey is so brief, you have plenty of flexibility for when you depart and how you pace yourself. Both Catalina and Tucson are located in the Desert Southwest region, so expect similar arid landscapes throughout.
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 42m. Total distance: 23.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m 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
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this entire 23.6-mile stretch. With no highway mileage, you'll be on city streets for the duration. The longest uninterrupted segment you'll encounter is 13.4 miles on North Oracle Road. This route is characterized by frequent intersections and the need to navigate local traffic patterns. It’s less about open road cruising and more about connecting different points within the urban and suburban landscape of the Tucson area.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Oracle Road is the longest continuous segment at about 13.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near North Elkins Road.
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 23.6 miles you will encounter 9 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 0.1 miles (North Elkins Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (East Stallion Lane): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Elkins Road
Turn right onto North Elkins Road
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Stallion Lane
Turn right onto East Stallion Lane
Navigation decision point
4
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
6
14.9 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
North 1st Avenue
Turn right onto North 1st Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
18 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
North Campbell Avenue
Turn right onto North Campbell Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Oracle Road | 13.4 mi | 20m |
| North Country Club Road | 3 mi | 6m |
| North 1st Avenue | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| North Campbell Avenue | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| East River Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| East Fort Lowell Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| West Orange Grove Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| East Pinal Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
North Oracle Road
— 13.4 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Catalina, AZ and Tucson, AZ.
1
Start on East Pinto Place
491 ft
·
23 sec
·
East Pinto Place
2
Turn right onto North Elkins Road
499 ft
·
24 sec
·
North Elkins Road
3
Turn right onto East Stallion Lane
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
East Stallion Lane
4
Turn left
414 ft
·
30 sec
5
Turn right onto East Pinal Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
East Pinal Street
6
Turn left onto AZ 77; US 80 Hist
13 mi
·
20 min
·
North Oracle Road
Use the left lane.
7
Turn left onto West Orange Grove Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West Orange Grove Road
8
Turn right onto North 1st Avenue
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
North 1st Avenue
Use the right lane.
9
Turn left onto East River Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
East River Road
10
Turn right onto North Campbell Avenue
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Campbell Avenue
Use the right lane.
11
Turn left onto East Fort Lowell Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
East Fort Lowell Road
12
Turn right onto North Country Club Road
3.0 mi
·
6 min
·
North Country Club Road
13
Continue on North Country Club Road
182 ft
·
15 sec
·
North Country Club Road
14
Arrive at destination
North Country Club Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.60 one way
$9.20 round trip
$4.95/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.34 | $4.96 | $9.92 |
| premium | $5.57 | $5.17 | $10.34 |
| diesel | $6.37 | $5.91 | $11.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 kg one way.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.48 | $1.13 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.30 | $1.51 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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 Saturday
Local time
3:16 AM
MST
Current temp
54°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
32 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
42m 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 Catalina, AZ to Tucson, AZ covers 23.6 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Oracle Road, North Country Club Road, North 1st Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.8 miles from Catalina, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.60 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 23.6 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Elkins Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (East Stallion Lane): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Navigation decision point.
The route from Catalina, AZ to Tucson, AZ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Saguaro National Park.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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