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Trip from Rowood, AZ to San Luis, AZ

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

Drive Time

1h 23m

Distance

63.7 mi

102 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$13

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 19 min
4 AM
1h 17m ★
6 AM
1h 23m
8 AM
1h 36m
10 AM
1h 28m
12 PM
1h 26m
3 PM
1h 28m
5 PM
1h 35m
8 PM
1h 19m

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

Downtown Rowood, AZ, AZ

Rowood, AZ

Mark Stebnicki

Downtown San Luis, AZ, AZ

San Luis, AZ

Abhishek Navlakha

Trip Overview

This 63.7-mile drive from Rowood, AZ to San Luis, AZ, will take you about 1 hour and 23 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. You'll be navigating primarily on the North Tucson-Ajo Highway and Indian Route 15, with a 23% share of highway driving. With an estimated fuel cost of $13, this is an economical journey through the Desert Southwest. The overall feel is that of a turn-heavy local drive, so be prepared for frequent changes in direction as you head south. Given its manageable length and duration, no overnight stops are necessary.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 23m. Total distance: 63.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 23m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (23%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, which is not a high-speed interstate cruise. While 23% of the journey is on highways, much of it involves local roads with more frequent turns. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 39.1 miles on the North Tucson-Ajo Highway, offering a brief period of more consistent travel. The road will likely change character as you progress from the northern starting point to the southern destination, transitioning between different types of roadways. This drive is best characterized by its varied road conditions and frequent navigation adjustments.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 8 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Tucson-Ajo Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 39.1 miles.

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. The trickiest moment comes around 9.8 miles in near AZ 86 / North Tucson-Ajo Highway.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Rowood, AZ to San Luis, AZ is easy. At 1h 23m with 23% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 9.8 miles (AZ 86 / North Tucson-Ajo Highway): Navigation decision point; at 49 miles (BIA 15 / Indian Route 15): Navigation decision point; at 62.5 miles (IR 51 / Indian Route 51): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

3 of 3 key points

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

4
9.8 mi into trip | ~12m in | AZ 86 / North Tucson-Ajo Highway

Turn left onto AZ 86 / North Tucson-Ajo Highway

Navigation decision point

4
49 mi into trip | ~59m in | BIA 15 / Indian Route 15

Turn left onto BIA 15 / Indian Route 15

Navigation decision point

3
62.5 mi into trip | ~1h 18m in | IR 51 / Indian Route 51

Turn right onto IR 51 / Indian Route 51

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
North Tucson-Ajo Highway 39.1 mi 47m
Indian Route 15 13.6 mi 18m
Tucson-Ajo Highway 8.8 mi 10m
Indian Route 51 1.1 mi 4m
Gila Bend-Lukeville Highway 0.9 mi 1m
North Sonoita Highway 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: North Tucson-Ajo Highway — 39.1 mi, about 47m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rowood, AZ and San Luis, AZ.

1

Start on AZ 85

8.6 mi · 10 min · Tucson-Ajo Highway
2

Continue on AZ 85

0.9 mi · 1 min · Gila Bend-Lukeville Highway
3

Continue on AZ 85

0.2 mi · 15 sec · Tucson-Ajo Highway
4

Continue on AZ 85

0.2 mi · 18 sec · North Sonoita Highway
5

Turn left onto AZ 86

39 mi · 47 min · North Tucson-Ajo Highway
6

Turn left onto BIA 15

14 mi · 18 min · Indian Route 15
7

Turn right onto IR 51

1.1 mi · 4 min · Indian Route 51
8

Arrive at destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$12.69 one way

$25.38 round trip

$5.06/gal 25.4 MPG avg 22 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.36 $13.43 $26.86
premium $5.59 $14.02 $28.04
diesel $5.61 $14.06 $28.13

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$13

Estimated CO2 emission: 22.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 19.1 0 $6.69 $3.06
Efficient EV 15.9 0 $5.57 $2.55
EV Truck/SUV 25.5 0 $8.92 $4.08

Gas CO2

22 kg

EV CO2

7 kg (68% 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 15, 2026

Origin

Rowood, AZ

Morning in Rowood on Friday

Local time

7:01 AM

MST

Current temp

84°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

San Luis, AZ

Morning in San Luis on Friday

Local time

7:01 AM

MST

Current temp

55°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

29 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

1h 23m 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 Rowood, AZ to San Luis, AZ covers 63.7 miles and takes about 1h 23m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are North Tucson-Ajo Highway, Indian Route 15, Tucson-Ajo Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 31.8 miles from Rowood, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $12.69 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 Rowood, AZ to San Luis, AZ is easy. At 1h 23m with 23% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

The main spots that need attention: at 9.8 miles (AZ 86 / North Tucson-Ajo Highway): Navigation decision point; at 49 miles (BIA 15 / Indian Route 15): Navigation decision point; at 62.5 miles (IR 51 / Indian Route 51): Navigation decision point.

The route from Rowood, AZ to San Luis, 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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