Origin
Mesa, AZ
Late night in Mesa on Friday
Local time
4:21 AM
MST
Current temp
93°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
49m
Distance
38.9 mi
63 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 45m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 57m
8 PM
0h 47m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mesa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Sun City, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ covers 38.9 miles and takes about 49m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Alma School Road, AZ 202, Red Mountain Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.75 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 49m. Total distance: 38.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
49m 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 49m drive with frequent turns across 38.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Alma School Road 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 Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ is easy. At 49m 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 Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Alma School Road | — | — |
| AZ 202 | — | — |
| Red Mountain Freeway | — | — |
| I 10 West | — | — |
| Papago Freeway | — | — |
| Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel | — | — |
| AZ 101 | — | — |
| Agua Fria Freeway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
North Alma School Road
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mesa, AZ and Sun City, AZ.
1
Start on East University Drive
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
East University Drive
2
Turn right onto North Alma School Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Alma School Road
3
Turn left onto AZ 202 Loop West
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
AZ 202 Loop West
4
Merge slight left onto Red Mountain Freeway
11 mi
·
12 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
5
Take the exit slight left toward I 10 West
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
I 10 West
6
Merge slight right onto Papago Freeway
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
7
Continue on Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
8
Continue on Papago Freeway
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Papago Freeway
9
Take the exit slight right toward AZ 101 Loop North
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
AZ 101 Loop North
10
Continue on Agua Fria Freeway
8.8 mi
·
10 min
·
Agua Fria Freeway
11
Take the exit slight right toward US 60
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
·
US 60
12
Turn left onto Grand Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
13
Arrive at your destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 19.4 mi from Mesa, AZ · 24m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 38.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19.4 miles from Mesa, AZ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Sun City, AZ
Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Sun City, AZ if you are unfamiliar with the area.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.75 one way
$15.50 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $8.20 | $16.40 |
| premium | $5.59 | $8.56 | $17.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.59 | $17.18 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.7 | 0 | $4.08 | $1.87 |
| Efficient EV | 9.7 | 0 | $3.40 | $1.56 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.6 | 0 | $5.45 | $2.49 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% 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
Sun City, AZ
Late night in Sun City on Friday
Local time
4:21 AM
MST
Current temp
92°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
49m 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 Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ covers 38.9 miles and takes about 49m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Alma School Road, AZ 202, Red Mountain Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 19.4 miles from Mesa, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.75 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 Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ is easy. At 49m 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 Mesa, AZ to Sun City, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Mesa, AZ to Sun City, 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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