Origin
Deer Valley, AZ
Late night in Deer Valley on Saturday
Local time
4:36 AM
MST
Current temp
88°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Deer Valley, AZ to Carefree, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
18.6 mi
30 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 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Deer Valley, AZ
Line Knipst
Carefree, AZ
Serg Alesenko
Trip Overview
The drive from Deer Valley, AZ to Carefree, AZ covers 18.6 miles and takes about 33m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Cave Creek Road, West Deer Valley Road, East Carefree Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.7 miles on North Cave Creek Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.71 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 18.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 33m drive with frequent turns across 18.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Cave Creek Road is the longest continuous segment at about 8.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West Deer Valley Road.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 33m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Deer Valley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles (North Cave Creek Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.7 miles (East Carefree Highway): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Deer Valley Road
Turn left onto West Deer Valley Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
6.1 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
North Cave Creek Road
Turn left onto North Cave Creek Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
14.7 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
East Carefree Highway
Turn right onto East Carefree Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
16.8 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
North Tom Darlington Drive
Turn left onto North Tom Darlington Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Cave Creek Road | 8.7 mi | 14m |
| West Deer Valley Road | 6 mi | 10m |
| East Carefree Highway | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| North Tom Darlington Drive | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| North Bloody Basin Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| North 35th Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Tranquil Trail | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
North Cave Creek Road
— 8.7 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Deer Valley, AZ and Carefree, AZ.
1
Start on North 35th Avenue
37 ft
·
8 sec
·
North 35th Avenue
2
Turn left onto West Deer Valley Road
6.0 mi
·
10 min
·
West Deer Valley Road
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto North Cave Creek Road
8.7 mi
·
14 min
·
North Cave Creek Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto East Carefree Highway
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
East Carefree Highway
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto North Tom Darlington Drive
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Tom Darlington Drive
Use the left lane.
6
Turn slight right onto North Bloody Basin Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Bloody Basin Road
7
Arrive at destination
North Tranquil Trail
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.71 one way
$7.41 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $3.92 | $7.84 |
| premium | $5.59 | $4.09 | $8.19 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.11 | $8.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.5 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 | 5.6 | 0 | $1.95 | $0.89 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.60 | $1.19 |
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
Carefree, AZ
Late night in Carefree on Saturday
Local time
4:36 AM
MST
Current temp
84°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
4 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
33m 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 Deer Valley, AZ to Carefree, AZ covers 18.6 miles and takes about 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Cave Creek Road, West Deer Valley Road, East Carefree Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.3 miles from Deer Valley, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.71 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 straightforward 33m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Deer Valley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles (North Cave Creek Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.7 miles (East Carefree Highway): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Deer Valley, AZ to Carefree, 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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