Origin
San Carlos, AZ
Late night in San Carlos on Friday
Local time
1:51 AM
MST
Current temp
90°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Carlos, AZ to Tempe, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
14m
Distance
8.3 mi
13 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 13m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 17m
10 AM
0h 15m
12 PM
0h 15m
3 PM
0h 15m
5 PM
0h 17m
8 PM
0h 13m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Carlos, AZ
Andrea Hinojosa
Tempe, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from San Carlos, AZ to Tempe, AZ covers 8.3 miles and takes about 14m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Price Freeway, West Elliot Road, East Broadway Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.1 miles on Price Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.65 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 14m. Total distance: 8.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (38%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile.
Drive Character
The drive from San Carlos, AZ to Tempe, AZ covers 8.3 miles and takes about 14m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Price Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 3.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near West Loughlin Drive.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 8.3 miles you will encounter 10 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 (West Loughlin Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Elliot Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (South Price Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 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
|
West Loughlin Drive
Turn right onto West Loughlin Drive
Navigation decision point
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Elliot Road
At end of road, turn left onto West Elliot Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
South Price Road
Turn right onto South Price Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
3.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
AZ 101 Loop / Price Freeway
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop / Price Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
6.3 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Take the exit toward Broadway Road, Apache Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 53
Toward Broadway Road, Apache Boulevard
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Price Freeway | 3.1 mi | 3m |
| West Elliot Road | 2.4 mi | 4m |
| East Broadway Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| South McClintock Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| North Hartford Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Price Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Loughlin Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Apache Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Price Freeway
— 3.1 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Carlos, AZ and Tempe, AZ.
1
Start on this road
294 ft
·
22 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West Loughlin Drive
146 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Loughlin Drive
3
Turn left onto North Hartford Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
North Hartford Street
4
At end of road, turn left onto West Elliot Road
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
West Elliot Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto South Price Road
273 ft
·
5 sec
·
South Price Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward AZ 101 Loop North
7
Merge onto AZ 101 Loop
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Price Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 53
Toward Broadway Road, Apache Boulevard
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn straight onto South Price Road
302 ft
·
7 sec
·
South Price Road
10
Turn left onto East Broadway Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
East Broadway Road
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
11
Turn right onto South McClintock Drive
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
South McClintock Drive
12
Turn left onto US 80 Hist
137 ft
·
10 sec
·
East Apache Boulevard
Use the left lane.
13
Arrive at destination
US 80 Hist
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.65 one way
$3.31 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $1.75 | $3.50 |
| premium | $5.59 | $1.83 | $3.65 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.83 | $3.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.5 | 0 | $0.87 | $0.40 |
| Efficient EV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.73 | $0.33 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.16 | $0.53 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Tempe, AZ
Late night in Tempe on Friday
Local time
1:51 AM
MST
Current temp
93°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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
14m 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 San Carlos, AZ to Tempe, AZ covers 8.3 miles and takes about 14m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Price Freeway, West Elliot Road, East Broadway Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.2 miles from San Carlos, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.65 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 8.3 miles you will encounter 10 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 (West Loughlin Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Elliot Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (South Price Road): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from San Carlos, AZ to Tempe, 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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