Santa Fe to Tucson road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best road trip stops on the Santa Fe to Tucson drive are Albuquerque, Deming NM and Tombstone AZ. The distance from Santa Fe to Tucson by car is 514 miles, with a 7h28m driving time.
Planning a Santa Fe to Tucson road trip
The Santa Fe to Tucson drive connect the historic capital of New Mexico to southern Arizona.
Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the US, and has a huge arts scene. The glut of adobe architecture makes the New Mexico capital highly photogenic. These buildings are best seen on an architecture walking tour.
Fab Santa Fe experiences include history walks covering the city’s past, on-the-move photography classes and New Mexican food tours through the evocative Santa Fe Plaza.
For other options, try small group e-bike tours through lesser-known areas of the city and ghost story tours.
If you want memorable Santa Fe accommodation, try the Hacienda in the Railyard Arts District or the adobe-style La Fonda on the Plaza.
Top tip for Santa Fe
The Canyon Road Arts District plays a huge part in Santa Fe’s distinctive character. But with 80-plus galleries, it’s difficult to know where to start looking. Taking a Canyon Road Arts District tour with an art historian guide helps you zero in on the most interesting works. You’ll also get to chat to the artists and gallery curators. Find out more here.
David Whitley, editor of Best3Stops.
Tucson is often used as a base for exploring the Sonoran Desert. But it’s a proper city with an arty streak, a Spanish-tinged history and excellent Mexican food.
Top Tucson experiences include exploring the city’s many murals, taking a self-guided audio tour through Saguaro National Park and canyoneering at Mt Lemmon.
There are also several good bike tours you can do in and around Tucson. Choose from a history-focused ride through the city, e-biking in Saguaro National Park and taco-tasting on two wheels.
For resort-style accommodation in Tucson, take a look at the impressive Casino Del Sol Resort. To stay downtown, within walking distance of several restaurants, try the Leo Kent Hotel.
Santa Fe to Tucson distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Santa Fe to Tucson is 514 miles. That makes for a driving time of around seven hours and 28 minutes. The quickest route is usually along the I-25 and I-10.
For more suggestions, see the guides to the individual legs of the journey.
Santa Fe to Tucson drive: Albuquerque
Fabulous Albuquerque experiences include a sunrise hot air balloon flight, old town ghost walks, nature tours by bike and guided hops between craft breweries . You can also pay a visit to the castle-like Turquoise Museum and old town food tours focusing on New Mexican flavours.
Great Albuquerque accommodation choices include the historic, adobe-style Casas de Suenos and the old town’s art-filled Hotel Chaco.
Best stops between Santa Fe and Tucson: Deming NM
If you want to know more about the backstory of life in the Chihuahuan desert, the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum is pretty good as local history museums go. But Deming NM’s best attractions are two state parks. The City of Rocks State Park is to the north-west, with giant, wind-sculpted, volcanic ash boulders the main lure. The Rockhound State Park is to the southeast. Based around the Little Florida Mountains, it’s a better bet for hiking and camping.
You can also stop for wine-tasting at the Luna Rossa Winery.
Santa Fe to Tucson road trip attractions: Tombstone AZ
Tombstone, Arizona, is a fabulously silly place that buys whole-heartedly into Wild West mythology. The Boot Hill graveyard has comic epitaphs, and the streets look as they would back in the days of the Earp Brothers. Costumed actors stage a gunfight at the OK Corral, blacksmiths work the forge and there’s a bizarre collection of mini-museums and attractions
It’s also possible to do a series of themed walking tours that bring Tombstone even further to life. Choose from ghosts and gunslingers or bullets and bordellos.
Santa Fe road trips
Albuquerque to Santa Fe | Amarillo to Santa Fe | Austin to Santa Fe | Colorado Springs to Santa Fe | Dallas to Santa Fe | Denver to Santa Fe | El Paso to Santa Fe | Flagstaff to Santa Fe | Houston to Santa Fe | Las Cruces to Santa Fe | Phoenix to Santa Fe | Sedona to Santa Fe.
More Tucson road trips
Albuquerque to Tucson | Bisbee to Tucson | Casa Grande to Tucson | Chandler to Tucson | Tucson to Colorado Springs | Dallas to Tucson | Deming NM to Tucson | Tucson to Denver | El Paso to Tucson | Tucson to Flagstaff | Tucson to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Houston to Tucson | Las Cruces to Tucson | Tucson to Mesa AZ | Phoenix to Tucson | Tucson to Prescott | Tucson to Scottsdale | Tucson to Sedona | Tempe to Tucson | Tucson to Tombstone | Yuma to Tucson.