Origin
Tempe Junction, AZ
Late night in Tempe Junction on Friday
Local time
2:48 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
6/10
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 South Farmer Avenue, West University Drive, South Priest Drive for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. 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 (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 41m drive with frequent turns across 31.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
South Farmer Avenue 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 Tempe Junction, AZ to Sun City, AZ is easy. At 41m 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 Tempe Junction, AZ to Sun City, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Farmer Avenue | — | — |
| West University Drive | — | — |
| South Priest Drive | — | — |
| North Priest Drive | — | — |
| AZ 202 | — | — |
| Red Mountain Freeway | — | — |
| I 10 West | — | — |
| Papago Freeway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
South Farmer Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
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
·
2 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
6
Take the ramp left toward AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harbor Airport
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
AZ 202 Loop West, AZ-143 South: Sky Harbor Airport
7
Keep slight right to continue on AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
0.4 mi
·
36 sec
·
AZ 202 Loop West: Phoenix
8
Merge slight left onto Red Mountain Freeway
4.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Red Mountain Freeway
9
Take the exit slight left toward I 10 West
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
I 10 West
10
Merge slight right onto Papago Freeway
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Papago Freeway
11
Continue on Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel
12
Continue on Papago Freeway
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Papago Freeway
13
Take the exit slight right toward AZ 101 Loop North
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
AZ 101 Loop North
14
Continue on Agua Fria Freeway
8.8 mi
·
10 min
·
Agua Fria Freeway
15
Take the exit slight right toward US 60
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
·
US 60
16
Turn left onto Grand Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
17
Arrive at your destination
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
2:48 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 South Farmer Avenue, West University Drive, South Priest Drive. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
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.
The drive from Tempe Junction, AZ to Sun City, AZ is easy. At 41m 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 Tempe Junction, AZ to Sun City, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
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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