Origin
Gilbert, AZ
Morning in Gilbert on Friday
Local time
6:29 AM
MST
Current temp
93°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Gilbert, AZ to San Tan Valley, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
25.1 mi
40 km
Drive Score
7/10
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 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Gilbert, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
San Tan Valley, AZ
Mark Direen
Trip Overview
The drive from Gilbert, AZ to San Tan Valley, AZ covers 25.1 miles and takes about 42m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East Elliot Road, North Ironwood Road, Santan Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.6 miles on East Elliot Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.00 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 25.1 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 (24%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 42m drive with frequent turns across 25.1 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 26 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East Elliot Road is the longest continuous segment at about 3.6 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 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near North Elm Street.
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 25.1 miles you will encounter 11 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: near the start (North Elm Street): Navigation decision point; at 4 miles (South Higley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Elm Street
Turn right onto North Elm Street
Navigation decision point
6
4 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
South Higley Road
Turn right onto South Higley Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
5.6 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Turn left toward AZ 202 Loop East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
7
8.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward AZ 24 East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 34A
Toward AZ 24 East
5
15.7 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
North Ironwood Road
Turn right onto North Ironwood Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Elliot Road | 3.6 mi | 6m |
| North Ironwood Road | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| Santan Freeway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| Gateway Freeway | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| East Combs Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| North Gantzel Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| North Schnepf Road | 2 mi | 4m |
| South Higley Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
East Elliot Road
— 3.6 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Gilbert, AZ and San Tan Valley, AZ.
1
Start on this road
203 ft
·
17 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto North Elm Street
240 ft
·
8 sec
·
North Elm Street
3
Continue on East Bruce Avenue
480 ft
·
17 sec
·
East Bruce Avenue
4
Turn right onto North Palm Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
North Palm Street
5
Turn right onto North Cottonwood Drive
261 ft
·
16 sec
·
North Cottonwood Drive
6
Turn left onto East Elliot Road
3.6 mi
·
6 min
·
East Elliot Road
7
Turn right onto South Higley Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
South Higley Road
Use the right lane.
8
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
28 sec
Toward AZ 202 Loop East
Use the left lane.
9
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Santan Freeway
10
Take the exit
1.4 mi
·
2 min
Exit 34A
Toward AZ 24 East
Use the slight right lane.
11
Continue on AZ 24
1.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Gateway Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
this road
Exit 2
13
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
this road
14
Continue on AZ 24
0.6 mi
·
59 sec
·
Gateway Freeway
15
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
·
this road
Exit 3
16
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
·
this road
17
Continue on AZ 24
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Gateway Freeway
18
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
this road
Exit 4
19
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
this road
20
Continue on AZ 24
0.4 mi
·
39 sec
·
Gateway Expressway
21
Continue on AZ 24
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
Gateway Expressway
Exit 5
22
Turn right onto North Ironwood Road
3.4 mi
·
5 min
·
North Ironwood Road
Use the left lane.
23
Continue on North Gantzel Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
North Gantzel Road
24
Turn left onto East Combs Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
East Combs Road
25
Turn right onto North Schnepf Road
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
North Schnepf Road
26
Arrive at destination
East Skyline Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.00 one way
$10.00 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $5.29 | $10.58 |
| premium | $5.59 | $5.52 | $11.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 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 | 7.5 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.51 | $1.61 |
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
San Tan Valley, AZ
Morning in San Tan Valley on Friday
Local time
6:29 AM
MST
Current temp
90°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
3 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 Gilbert, AZ to San Tan Valley, AZ covers 25.1 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East Elliot Road, North Ironwood Road, Santan Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.5 miles from Gilbert, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.00 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 25.1 miles you will encounter 11 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: near the start (North Elm Street): Navigation decision point; at 4 miles (South Higley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Gilbert, AZ to San Tan Valley, 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 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. National park proximity is from the NPS API. 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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