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Trip from Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

48m

Distance

29.8 mi

48 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 45m ★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 52m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

city in and county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States

Tucson, AZ

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Picture Rocks, AZ, AZ

Picture Rocks, AZ

Mark Direen

Trip Overview

The drive from Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ covers 29.8 miles and takes about 48m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on East Speedway Boulevard, North Freeway Road, I 10 West for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.94 one way before food or hotel costs.

About the Cities

Starting in Tucson, AZ

Full guide →

Tucson (TOO-sawn), also known as the "Old Pueblo", is the second-largest city in the state of Arizona and the county seat of Pima County in the Sonoran Desert. It is at a higher elevation than nearby Phoenix and is correspondingly cooler. Although with half a million residents it is smaller than the capital city, its cultural life is just as vibrant.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 29.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

48m 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 48m drive with frequent turns across 29.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East Speedway Boulevard 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 Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ is easy. At 48m 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 Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
East Speedway Boulevard
North Freeway Road
I 10 West
North Freeway
Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
Avra Valley Road
North Casa Grande Highway
West Avra Valley Road

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: East Speedway Boulevard — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Tucson, AZ and Picture Rocks, AZ.

1

Start on North Country Club Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · North Country Club Road
2

Turn left onto East Speedway Boulevard

3.3 mi · 7 min · East Speedway Boulevard
3

Turn right onto North Freeway Road

417 ft · 7 sec · North Freeway Road
4

Take the ramp straight toward I 10 West

0.4 mi · 47 sec · I 10 West
5

Merge slight left onto North Freeway

2.5 mi · 2 min · North Freeway
6

Continue on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway

3.7 mi · 4 min · Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
7

Keep slight left to continue on Casa Grande-Tucson Highway

7.3 mi · 8 min · Casa Grande-Tucson Highway
8

Take the exit slight right toward Avra Valley Road

0.3 mi · 35 sec · Avra Valley Road
9

Turn straight onto North Casa Grande Highway

223 ft · 14 sec · North Casa Grande Highway
10

Turn left onto West Avra Valley Road

5.2 mi · 7 min · West Avra Valley Road
11

Turn left onto North Sandario Road

1.5 mi · 2 min · North Sandario Road
12

Enter the roundabout and take exit 1 toward West Twin Peaks Road

13 ft · 1 sec · West Twin Peaks Road
13

Exit the roundabout onto West Twin Peaks Road

1.0 mi · 1 min · West Twin Peaks Road
14

Turn left onto North Sanders Road

1.0 mi · 1 min · North Sanders Road
15

Turn right onto West Emigh Road

1.0 mi · 3 min · West Emigh Road
16

Keep slight left to continue on North Avra Road

1.4 mi · 5 min · North Avra Road
17

Arrive at your destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.94 one way

$11.87 round trip

$5.06/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.36 $6.28 $12.57
premium $5.59 $6.56 $13.12
diesel $5.61 $6.58 $13.16

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.9 0 $3.13 $1.43
Efficient EV 7.5 0 $2.61 $1.19
EV Truck/SUV 11.9 0 $4.17 $1.91

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Tucson, AZ

Morning in Tucson on Saturday

Local time

7:55 AM

MST

Current temp

54°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Picture Rocks, AZ

Morning in Picture Rocks on Saturday

Local time

7:55 AM

MST

Current temp

88°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

34 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

48m 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 Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ covers 29.8 miles and takes about 48m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are East Speedway Boulevard, North Freeway Road, I 10 West. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 14.9 miles from Tucson, AZ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.94 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 Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ is easy. At 48m 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 Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, AZ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Tucson, AZ to Picture Rocks, 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Picture Rocks, AZ to Tucson, AZ

Plan the drive back the other way.

29.7 mi 47m

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