Origin
Tortolita, AZ
Morning in Tortolita on Saturday
Local time
9:28 AM
MST
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
23.8 mi
38 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Tortolita, AZ
Abhishek Navlakha
Drexel Heights, AZ
Quang Vuong
Trip Overview
The drive from Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ covers 23.8 miles and takes about 37m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West Naranja Drive, North La Cholla Boulevard, West Ruthrauff Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.74 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 23.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m 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 37m drive with frequent turns across 23.8 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West Naranja Drive 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 Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ is easy. At 37m 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 Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Naranja Drive | — | — |
| North La Cholla Boulevard | — | — |
| West Ruthrauff Road | — | — |
| North Business Center Drive | — | — |
| I 10 East | — | — |
| Casa Grande-Tucson Highway | — | — |
| North Freeway | — | — |
| I 19 South | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
West Naranja Drive
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Tortolita, AZ and Drexel Heights, AZ.
1
Start on the route
20 ft
·
4 sec
·
the route
2
Continue on West Naranja Drive
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
West Naranja Drive
3
Turn right onto North La Cholla Boulevard
8.0 mi
·
13 min
·
North La Cholla Boulevard
4
Turn right onto West Ruthrauff Road
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
West Ruthrauff Road
5
Turn sharp left onto North Business Center Drive
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
·
North Business Center Drive
6
Take the ramp slight left toward I 10 East
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
I 10 East
7
Merge slight left onto Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
8
Continue on North Freeway
5.4 mi
·
6 min
·
North Freeway
9
Take the exit slight right toward I 19 South: Nogales
0.5 mi
·
38 sec
·
I 19 South: Nogales
10
Continue on Nogales–Tucson Highway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Nogales–Tucson Highway
11
Take the exit slight right toward AZ 86 West: Ajo Way
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
·
AZ 86 West: Ajo Way
12
Keep slight right to continue on Ajo, Desert Museum, Old Tucson
289 ft
·
7 sec
·
Ajo, Desert Museum, Old Tucson
13
Turn straight onto West Ajo Way
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Ajo Way
14
Continue on West Ajo Highway
466 ft
·
11 sec
·
West Ajo Highway
15
Turn left onto South Mission Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
South Mission Road
16
Turn right onto West Irvington Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
West Irvington Road
17
Turn left onto Cardinal Avenue
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Cardinal Avenue
18
Turn left onto West Bilby Road
72 ft
·
2 sec
·
West Bilby Road
19
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.74 one way
$9.48 round trip
$5.06/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.36 | $5.02 | $10.04 |
| premium | $5.59 | $5.24 | $10.48 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.25 | $10.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.50 | $1.14 |
| Efficient EV | 6 | 0 | $2.08 | $0.95 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.33 | $1.52 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Drexel Heights, AZ
Morning in Drexel Heights on Saturday
Local time
9:28 AM
MST
Current temp
54°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
37m 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 Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ covers 23.8 miles and takes about 37m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West Naranja Drive, North La Cholla Boulevard, West Ruthrauff Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.9 miles from Tortolita, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.74 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 Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ is easy. At 37m 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 Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Tortolita, AZ to Drexel Heights, 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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