Origin
San Tan Valley, AZ
Morning in San Tan Valley on Friday
Local time
8:37 AM
MST
Current temp
90°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Tan Valley, AZ to Mesa, 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
31.9 mi
51 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 45m
★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 52m
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.
San Tan Valley, AZ
Mark Direen
Mesa, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from San Tan Valley, AZ to Mesa, AZ covers 31.9 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 Superstition Freeway, North Ironwood Road, Santan Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.9 miles on Superstition Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.35 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 49m. Total distance: 31.9 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 (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from San Tan Valley, AZ to Mesa, AZ covers 31.9 miles and takes about 49m, 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 24 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Superstition Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2 miles in near East Combs Road.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 31.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles (East Combs Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles (AZ 24 / Gateway Expressway): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
6
2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
East Combs Road
Turn left onto East Combs Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
9.5 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
AZ 24 / Gateway Expressway
Turn left onto AZ 24 / Gateway Expressway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
14.8 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight right at fork toward AZ 202 Loop North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward AZ 202 Loop North
7
18.6 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Take the exit toward US 60 West: Phoenix
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 30B
Toward US 60 West: Phoenix
7
29 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Take the exit toward Mesa Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 180
Toward Mesa Drive
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Superstition Freeway | 8.9 mi | 10m |
| North Ironwood Road | 3.5 mi | 5m |
| Santan Freeway | 2.6 mi | 3m |
| Gateway Freeway | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| North Gantzel Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| East Combs Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| North Schnepf Road | 2 mi | 4m |
| South Mesa Drive | 2 mi | 3m |
Longest stretch:
Superstition Freeway
— 8.9 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Tan Valley, AZ and Mesa, AZ.
1
Start on East Skyline Drive
151 ft
·
4 sec
·
East Skyline Drive
2
Continue on North Schnepf Road
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
North Schnepf Road
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto East Combs Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
East Combs Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto North Gantzel Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
North Gantzel Road
5
Continue on North Ironwood Road
3.5 mi
·
5 min
·
North Ironwood Road
6
Turn left onto AZ 24
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Gateway Expressway
Use the left lane.
7
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
39 sec
·
this road
Exit 4
8
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
this road
9
Continue on AZ 24
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Gateway Freeway
10
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
this road
Exit 3
11
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
·
this road
12
Continue on AZ 24
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
·
Gateway Freeway
13
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
this road
Exit 2
14
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
25 sec
·
this road
15
Continue on AZ 24
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Gateway Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight right at fork
1.1 mi
·
1 min
Toward AZ 202 Loop North
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
17
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
2.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Santan Freeway
18
Take the exit
1.5 mi
·
3 min
Exit 30B
Toward US 60 West: Phoenix
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Merge onto US 60
8.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Superstition Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 180
Toward Mesa Drive
Use the slight right lane.
21
Turn right onto South Mesa Drive
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
South Mesa Drive
Use the left lane.
22
Continue on North Mesa Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
North Mesa Drive
23
Turn right onto East University Drive
73 ft
·
1 sec
·
East University Drive
24
Arrive at destination
East University Drive
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 15.9 mi from San Tan Valley, AZ · 26m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
16 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 31.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 15.9 miles from San Tan Valley, AZ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Mesa, AZ
Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Mesa, 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
$6.35 one way
$12.71 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $6.73 | $13.45 |
| premium | $5.59 | $7.02 | $14.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.04 | $14.09 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.35 | $1.53 |
| Efficient EV | 8 | 0 | $2.79 | $1.28 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.8 | 0 | $4.47 | $2.04 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 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
Mesa, AZ
Morning in Mesa on Friday
Local time
8:37 AM
MST
Current temp
59°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy
W 0 to 10 mph
23% chance
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
31 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
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from San Tan Valley, AZ to Mesa, AZ covers 31.9 miles and takes about 49m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Superstition Freeway, 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 15.9 miles from San Tan Valley, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.35 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 short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 31.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles (East Combs Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles (AZ 24 / Gateway Expressway): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from San Tan Valley, AZ to Mesa, 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 by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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