Origin
Tempe Junction, AZ
Late night in Tempe Junction on Friday
Local time
4:11 AM
MST
Current temp
90°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Tempe Junction, 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
41m
Distance
31.6 mi
51 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Tempe Junction, AZ
Abhishek Navlakha
Sun City, AZ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Tempe Junction, AZ to Sun City, AZ covers 31.6 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Papago Freeway, Agua Fria Freeway, Red Mountain Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 11.8 miles on Papago Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.30 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 31.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 41m highway drive covering 31.6 miles, with most of the trip on Papago Freeway and Agua Fria Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 11.8 miles on Papago Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Papago Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 11.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Papago Freeway and Agua Fria Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.7 miles in near Red Mountain Freeeway.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 31.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.7 miles (Red Mountain Freeeway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 7.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.
7
2.7 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Red Mountain Freeeway
Take the ramp onto Red Mountain Freeeway toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harbor Airport
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harb...
5
2.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight right at fork toward AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
6
7.5 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward I 10 West
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 10 West
7
20.8 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the exit toward AZ 101 Loop North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 133B
Toward AZ 101 Loop North
7
30.5 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Take the exit toward US 60
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 11
Toward US 60
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Papago Freeway | 11.8 mi | 13m |
| Agua Fria Freeway | 8.8 mi | 10m |
| Red Mountain Freeway | 4.3 mi | 4m |
| West University Drive | 1 mi | 1m |
| Grand Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Priest Drive | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Priest Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Papago Freeway
— 11.8 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Tempe Junction, AZ and Sun City, AZ.
1
Start on West 13th Street
236 ft
·
13 sec
·
West 13th Street
2
Turn right onto South Farmer Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Farmer Avenue
3
Turn left onto West University Drive
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West University Drive
4
Turn right onto South Priest Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Priest Drive
5
Continue on North Priest Drive
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Priest Drive
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp onto Red Mountain Freeeway
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Red Mountain Freeeway
Toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harbor Airport
Use the left lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
36 sec
Toward AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
8
Merge onto AZ 202 Loop
4.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 10 West
Use the slight left lane.
10
Merge onto I 10
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
11
Continue on I 10
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
12
Continue on I 10
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Papago Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Exit 133B
Toward AZ 101 Loop North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Continue on AZ 101 Loop
8.8 mi
·
10 min
·
Agua Fria Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 11
Toward US 60
Use the slight right lane.
16
Turn left onto US 60
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
Use the left / right lanes.
17
Arrive at destination
US 60
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.30 one way
$12.59 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $6.66 | $13.32 |
| premium | $5.59 | $6.96 | $13.91 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.98 | $13.95 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.1 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 | 9.5 | 0 | $3.32 | $1.52 |
| Efficient EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.77 | $1.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.6 | 0 | $4.42 | $2.02 |
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
Sun City, AZ
Late night in Sun City on Friday
Local time
4:11 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
2 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
41m 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 Tempe Junction, AZ to Sun City, AZ covers 31.6 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Papago Freeway, Agua Fria Freeway, Red Mountain Freeway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.8 miles from Tempe Junction, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.30 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 11 decision points packed into just 31.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
The main spots that need attention: at 2.7 miles (Red Mountain Freeeway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 7.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Tempe Junction, 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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