The Wayro route from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez is 451 miles (726 km), about 7 h 19 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 442 on this route, near the Ysleta port of entry.
| Distance | 451 mi (726 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 19 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-20 Bus → US-84 → I-20 → I-10 |
| Border crossing | about mile 442 of this route, Texas → Chihuahua (near the Ysleta, TX port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Chihuahua (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Ciudad Juárez
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Not needed if you stay within 12 miles (20 km) of the border for 6 days or less; required for longer stays or if you travel farther in |
| Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) | Not needed inside the border zone; required if you drive farther into Mexico |
| Mexican auto insurance | Required for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you cross |
Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.
Crossing at Ysleta
The Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge crosses the Rio Grande between El Paso's Lower Valley and the eastern side of Ciudad Juárez. It carries passenger vehicles, pedestrians and commercial trucks, with a northbound SENTRI lane for cars and a FAST lane for trucks.
What the drive from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez is like
I-10 (151 mi) and US-84 (149 mi) carry about 67% of the 451 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Texas for about 442 miles; after the border at Ysleta you have about 9 miles left in Mexico. Of the 8 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-20 Bus | 0–4 | 4 | Texas |
| US-84 | 4–153 | 149 | Texas |
| I-20 | 153–286 | 133 | Texas |
| I-10 | 286–437 | 151 | Texas |
| connecting roads | 437–441 | 4 | Texas |
| local roads | 441–451 | 10 | Texas, Chihuahua |
- Mile 442 of this route: Texas → Chihuahua (international border)
Stops between Abilene and Ciudad Juárez
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Hotel Settles (mile 107), Permian Basin Petroleum Museum (mile 150)
- Nature and outdoors: Big Spring State Park (mile 111), Monahans Sandhills State Park (mile 200)
- Museums and history: Permian Basin Petroleum Museum (mile 150), Museum of the Southwest (mile 150), Socorro Mission (mile 441), Ysleta Mission (mile 441)
Hotel Settles
Opened on October 1, 1930, this hotel in Big Spring, Texas, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Big Spring State Park
A paved three-mile loop road built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s climbs Scenic Mountain, a 200-foot bluff with wide views, historic rock carvings, picnic areas, and hiking and biking trails.
Permian Basin Petroleum Museum
Midland's petroleum museum covers 230 million years, from the ancient Permian Sea to modern drilling, with Jim Hall's Chaparral race cars, Tom Lovell paintings, a mineral gallery and outdoor oil-patch equipment.
Museum of the Southwest
Midland's Museum of the Southwest spreads across a campus with art galleries in the 1936 Turner Mansion, the Blakemore Planetarium, a children's museum and a sculpture garden.
Odessa Meteor Crater
The Odessa Meteor Crater is a meteorite crater in southwestern Ector County, southwest of Odessa in West Texas.
Monahans Sandhills State Park
Wind reshapes the sand dunes near Monahans, sometimes overnight. There are no marked trails, so you can wander at will, rent sand discs to sled the slopes, or camp at sites with water and electricity.
Socorro Mission
Rooted in a Franciscan mission founded for Piro, Tano, and Jémez people after the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, the present adobe church dates to about 1840. Carved, painted beams from the older church still hold up the roof, and it remains an active parish.
Ysleta Mission
Tigua people and Spanish colonists retreating after the 1680 Pueblo Revolt founded this El Paso mission in 1682. Still an active church, it has a silver-domed bell tower and a neoclassical interior with Native American motifs.
When you get to Ciudad Juárez
On the Rio Grande opposite El Paso, Ciudad Juárez grew up around a Franciscan mission founded in 1659 on the old route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. The city also played a real part in the Mexican Revolution: its former customs house served as Francisco Madero's provisional offices in 1911 and later as Pancho Villa's headquarters.
- Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Founded in 1659 by Fray García de San Francisco, the mission is the city's oldest building and stands beside the cathedral built in 1941. source
- Museo de la Revolución en la Frontera: Housed in the 1889 customs house where Porfirio Díaz and William Howard Taft met in 1909, the INAH museum tells the border's role in the Revolution. source
- Parque Público Federal El Chamizal: This 237-acre park commemorates the peaceful settlement of the Chamizal boundary dispute and is a sister park to Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso. source
Chamizal National Memorial
Along the border in El Paso, this memorial honors the peaceful settlement of a century-long U.S.–Mexico boundary dispute. Stop for borderlands art in the Franklin G. Smith Gallery, walking paths, and ballet folklórico performances.
El Paso Museum of Art
Founded in 1959 and set in downtown El Paso, this art museum holds more than 7,000 works strong in American, European, and Mexican art, including Kress Collection paintings by Botticelli and Canaletto and a notable group of Mexican retablos.
El Paso Zoo
Run by the City of El Paso, this 35-acre zoo groups its animals into four regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Chihuahuan Desert. It makes an easy family break on a drive through the borderland.
More drives to Ciudad Juárez
- Roswell, NM to Ciudad Juárez
- Fountain Hills, AZ to Ciudad Juárez
- Del Rio, TX to Ciudad Juárez
- Red River, NM to Ciudad Juárez
- San Angelo, TX to Ciudad Juárez
- Santa Fe, NM to Ciudad Juárez
From Abilene to other places in Mexico
- Abilene, TX to Ojinaga
- Abilene, TX to Monclova
- Abilene, TX to Monterrey
- Abilene, TX to Piedras Negras
- Abilene, TX to Ciudad Acuña
- Abilene, TX to Matamoros
All routes to Ciudad Juárez, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico from the U.S.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez?
About 7 h 19 min of driving without stops, over 451 miles.
How far is Ciudad Juárez from Abilene by car?
About 451 miles (726 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Where does the Abilene to Ciudad Juárez drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 442 of this route, from Texas into Chihuahua, near the Ysleta port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez?
Not needed inside the border zone; required if you drive farther into Mexico. You also need Mexican auto insurance and a passport book or card.
Is it safe to drive from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez?
The U.S. State Department rates Chihuahua Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Abilene to Ciudad Juárez use?
In order: I-20 Bus, US-84, I-20 and I-10. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Abilene and Ciudad Juárez?
Closest to the road: Hotel Settles (hotel, mile 107, 0.9 mi from the route); Permian Basin Petroleum Museum (museum, mile 150, 0.3 mi from the route); Ysleta Mission (spanish mission, mile 441, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.