Driving from Phoenix to Tucson

September 16, 2005 1:50 PM

My wife and I are flying from Portland, OR to Tucson in November and I'm considering flying into Phoenix and driving the rest of the way...

I can't find any direct flights to Tucson. I don't mind a nice drive with my spouse (no kids, so anything will be tolerable) and don't really want to waste time and effort flying through Denver or Las Vegas unless you kind folks tell me the trip from Phoenix to Tucson is unpleasant.

posted by docpops to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

It's not that bad of a drive - a couple of hours. My grandma lives in Phoenix and my mom lives in Tucson, and when I visit I always fly into Phoenix and just drive down. It's just desert, so it's not the most exciting scenery ever, but if you have someone to talk to it'll be fine.
posted by bedhead at 1:54 PM on September 16, 2005

Southwest flight 345 - PDX to TUS - 4:10pm?
posted by milkrate at 1:58 PM on September 16, 2005

Not too long and not unpleasant, but I drive very long distances just for the heck of it, so I may not be the best to judge. (i.e. I once drove 500 miles just to have lunch at a particular BBQ place in Memphis...)

Once you escape the sprawl of of Phoenix, there are some pretty cool natural features, and as you get closer to Tucson, some pretty cool unnatural ones as well.

Driving straight through takes 90 min. or less, depending-- at least in my experience.
posted by dersins at 1:58 PM on September 16, 2005

milkrate - I see that on SW website as one stop. Am I wrong?
posted by docpops at 2:00 PM on September 16, 2005

I think I've decided. I mean, uninterrupted time in the car with my spouse is like Gold. We got engaged in the desert, so knowing that the terrain isn't an unbroken strip of car dealerships and that I won't spend eight hours on layovers, delays, etc. makes it a no brainer, but any insights appreciated.
posted by docpops at 2:03 PM on September 16, 2005

Have you looked into how much it'll cost to rent a car for the amount of time and distance you'll need?
posted by cerebus19 at 2:07 PM on September 16, 2005

Southwest flight 345 (from Portland to Tucson) and flight 311 (the other way) are each one-stop, but you don't have to change planes. The length of time for each seems to be four hours start-to-finish, taking into account the time change, which is about what I'd expect flying from Portland to Tucson.

And the price differential is something like $20, which is a lot less than renting a car will be, I guarantee you.
posted by cerebus19 at 2:14 PM on September 16, 2005

Oh, yeah, I guess it is - there just isn't an airport listed for whatever stop it makes.

And depending on where your layover is, I'd guess that flying vs driving time would probably end up being close to a wash.
posted by milkrate at 2:18 PM on September 16, 2005

Not unpleasant, but not much to offer in terms of scenery either. It's just.. a drive. Through a deserty desert punctuated by an outlet mall, an ostrich farm and an almond(?) grove. Those are the high points. The radio dies out halfway. I've had satisfying grunting contests with passengers on that trip -- if you and your wife can fill voids better than that you might find it worth the car rental expense.
posted by dness2 at 2:25 PM on September 16, 2005

Well, the Clinic picks up the rental car and my wife will want it during the day, so that's a wash. I confess to a bit of flight anxiety as well, so fewer take-offs and landings...you get the drift. I'm not proud, but there you are.
posted by docpops at 2:26 PM on September 16, 2005

As a born and bred tucsonan who moved to PDX, may I ask why on earth you're doing this?
posted by markovitch at 3:13 PM on September 16, 2005

silly me... i somehow substituted 'going' for 'moving'

i think i need a nap.
posted by markovitch at 3:14 PM on September 16, 2005

I lived in Tucson for a long time and if you don't mind a 90 minute drive, flying to PHX is the way go to. And if you're staying in central or northwest Tucson it's way better, since it would take 30-40 minutes to get to your destination from the Tucson airport anyway.

There's been alot of contruction around Sky Harbor, and last time I was there, some of the signage to get you to I-10 east (to Tucson) was missing or confusing. Make sure you have directions to I-10 (see here) before you leave, as a wrong turn can easily turn into 30 minutes driving around the Phoenix suburbs (which is mostly unbroken strips of car dealerships).
posted by ldenneau at 3:16 PM on September 16, 2005

Thanks all.
posted by docpops at 3:31 PM on September 16, 2005

there is no more boring and uninspiring drive in the entire state. please, if you choose to drive I-17 & I-10 from phoenix to tucson, do not judge us by what you see. in my opinion, this drive you are proposing will take you past some of the most unseemly blight and unmitigated sprawl and mismanaged desert in the state. and it's crawling with speeding giant trucks, commuters in a super hurry, and cops galore waiting to snare all of the above.

if you would like to see arizona, and have an extra couple hours to make the drive do this: from sky harbor, head towards east apache junction. hang a right at AJ and head south to florence. take the long road from florence to catalina & oracle and from there follow the signs into tucson. it's almost the same mileage, maybe a smidge more; but it's much more interesting; and it's NOT interestate highway through the blight; and it's capable of showcasing arizona's character far more faithfully.

but, in view of the fact that, you probably won't choose this blue-highways option, but will instead stick to the interstate as recommended in several of the previous posts, please at least pick up a copy of arizona highways magazine at the airport to get a glimpse of what you're missing as you drive the crappiest, most unscenic, best-of-the-ugliness drive in the whole state.
posted by RockyChrysler at 9:29 PM on September 16, 2005

I definitely concur with RockyChrysler about the speeding trucks, commuters and cops. I won't drive between here and Phoenix, and I'm not a particularly skittish driver. Sometimes I will go if someone else drives, and even then I spend the entire ride white-knuckling the armrest with my right hand and clutching a bottle of Ativan in the left. Once I had to go there twice in one week; by the second return trip, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.
posted by mokujin at 9:54 PM on September 16, 2005

Yeah... there's still a fair amount of construction around Sky Harbor, but it's all pretty well marked. Getting from the rental car places to the I-10 (and from there, wherever) is incredibly simple.
posted by ph00dz at 6:18 AM on September 17, 2005

RockyChrysler - I'm going to take you up on your suggestion, at a minimum en route to our conference. That was really helpful. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks.
posted by docpops at 9:09 PM on September 17, 2005