Cameron to Hermosillo, Mexico: Border Crossing, Route & Stops

By admin, 30 September, 2026

The Wayro route from Cameron to Hermosillo is 547 miles (880 km), about 9 h 9 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 374 on this route, near the Nogales port of entry.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Sonora — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Sonora is the Mexican state that contains Hermosillo. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Wupatki National MonumentLowell ObservatoryOak Creek CanyonMontezuma Castle National MonumentArizona State CapitolCasa Grande Ruins National MonumentPicacho Peak State ParkTumacácori National Historical ParkU.S.–Mexico borderCameronHermosillo
Route from Cameron to Hermosillo with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots) and the approximate U.S.–Mexico border crossing (red square).
Distance547 mi (880 km)
Driving time, no stops9 h 9 min
Main roads, in orderUS-89 → I-40 → I-17 → I-10 → I-19 → MEX-15D → MEX-15
Border crossingabout mile 374 of this route, Arizona → Sonora (near the Nogales, AZ port of entry)
Mexican states on the routeSonora (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-15D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 21.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Hermosillo

PassportPassport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land
FMM entry permitRequired for this trip: Hermosillo is well beyond the 12-mile (20 km) border zone where the permit is not needed
Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Not needed: Hermosillo is inside Sonora's free zone (west of Highway 15 as far south as Empalme, plus a strip along the border that includes Cananea). Going farther south or east of Highway 15 requires a permit
Mexican auto insuranceRequired 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. Sonora free zone: Explore Sonora.

Crossing at Nogales

Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, share several crossings: DeConcini downtown is the main gateway for visitors and daily crossers, Morley Gate nearby serves pedestrians, and Mariposa on the west side handles commercial trucks. The city is also home to Arizona's only rail crossing.

Sources: [1] [2]

What the drive from Cameron to Hermosillo is like

I-17 (157 mi) and MEX-15D (122 mi) carry about 51% of the 547 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Arizona for about 374 miles; after the border at Nogales you have about 173 miles left in Mexico. The Mexican leg uses MEX-15D, a toll highway (cuota). Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Cameron to Hermosillo, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
US-890–4848Arizona
connecting roads48–491Arizona
I-4049–534Arizona
connecting roads53–552Arizona
I-1755–212157Arizona
I-10212–30997Arizona
connecting roads309–3101Arizona
I-19310–37060Arizona
connecting roads370–3733Arizona
MEX-15D373–3829Arizona, Sonora
MEX-15382–42442Sonora
MEX-15D424–537113Sonora
local roads537–54710Sonora
  • Mile 374 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)

Stops between Cameron and Hermosillo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Montezuma Castle National Monument (mile 103), Arizona State Capitol (mile 193), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 354)
  • Nature and outdoors: Oak Creek Canyon (mile 70), Picacho Peak State Park (mile 269), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 354)
  • Museums and history: Wupatki National Monument (mile 22), Montezuma Castle National Monument (mile 103), Arizona State Capitol (mile 193), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 241), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 354)

Wupatki National Monument

Mile 22 · National monument · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Ancestral Pueblo people built a busy center of trade here in the early 1100s. Trails lead to Wupatki Pueblo, with more than 100 rooms, a ball court and a natural blowhole, plus the Wukoki, Lomaki and Citadel pueblos.

Lowell Observatory

Mile 53 · Astronomical observatory · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Percival Lowell founded this Mars Hill observatory in Flagstaff in 1894, and Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto here in 1930; today visitors can see the Pluto Discovery Dome and look through public telescopes at the Open Deck Observatory.

Oak Creek Canyon

Mile 70 · Canyon · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Between Sedona and Flagstaff, State Route 89A follows this red-rock gorge for about 15 miles, climbing roughly 2,200 feet with hairpin turns and passing Midgley Bridge, Oak Creek Vista, and Slide Rock State Park.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Mile 103 · National monument · 0.6 mi from the route

Tucked into an alcove about 90 feet up a limestone cliff, this 20-room Sinagua dwelling is viewed from below. Established in 1906, the monument also includes Montezuma Well, a separate unit that once supplied the Sinagua with water.

Arizona State Capitol

Mile 193 · History museum · 0.7 mi from the route

Built from 1898 to 1901 and topped by a copper dome and a Winged Victory weathervane, Arizona's historic capitol now houses the Arizona Capitol Museum, including USS Arizona artifacts. Monuments and memorials fill Wesley Bolin Plaza outside.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Mile 241 · National monument · 10 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Standing for more than 600 years, the Great House is the centerpiece of this preserved Ancestral Sonoran Desert People's farming community near Coolidge. Visitors can also see the adobe walls of Compound A and a visitor center museum.

Picacho Peak State Park

Mile 269 · State park · 2 mi from the route

Between Tucson and Casa Grande off I-10, the park surrounds 1,500-foot Picacho Peak, site of the 1862 Battle of Picacho Pass. Expect hiking trails, a campground, and spring displays of Mexican gold poppies.

Tumacácori National Historical Park

Mile 354 · National Historical Park · 0.2 mi from the route

An adobe mission church anchors this park in the Santa Cruz River valley, where O'odham, Yaqui, and Apache people met Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries. Tour the mission grounds and visitor center, then walk the Anza Trail along the river.

When you get to Hermosillo

Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, spreads across the Sonoran Desert on Federal Highway 15. The rocky Cerro de la Campana rises right beside downtown, and stone quarried from it built the 1908 state penitentiary that now holds the regional history museum. The cathedral and Plaza Zaragoza anchor the old center, a short walk from the Government Palace.

  • Museo Regional de Sonora: INAH runs this museum inside the old state penitentiary, built of Cerro de la Campana stone in 1908 and used as a prison until 1979. source
  • Cerro de la Campana: The city's landmark hill gives a panoramic view over Hermosillo, and its phonolite rocks ring like a bell when struck, which gave it its name. source
  • Catedral de la Asunción: Dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, the cathedral on Plaza Zaragoza blends Baroque and neo-Gothic elements in an eclectic facade. source

Hermosillo Cathedral

Cathedral · in Hermosillo

Consecrated in 1908, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption pairs an eclectic facade of Baroque and neo-Gothic elements with a neoclassical interior; its dome was finished in 1963. A small 18th-century chapel once stood here.

More drives to Hermosillo

From Cameron to other places in Mexico

All routes to Hermosillo, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Hermosillo, Mexico from the U.S.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Cameron to Hermosillo?

About 9 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 547 miles.

How far is Hermosillo from Cameron by car?

About 547 miles (880 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 Cameron to Hermosillo drive cross into Mexico?

At about mile 374 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Nogales port of entry.

Do I need a permit to drive my car from Cameron to Hermosillo?

No vehicle permit is needed. Hermosillo is inside Sonora's free zone (west of Highway 15 as far south as Empalme, plus a strip along the border that includes Cananea). Going farther south or east of Highway 15 requires a permit. You also need Mexican auto insurance and a passport book or card. An FMM entry permit is required too.

Is it safe to drive from Cameron to Hermosillo?

The U.S. State Department rates Sonora Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Cameron to Hermosillo use?

In order: US-89, I-40, I-17, I-10, I-19, MEX-15D and MEX-15. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Cameron and Hermosillo?

Closest to the road: Montezuma Castle National Monument (National monument, mile 103, 0.6 mi from the route); Arizona State Capitol (history museum, mile 193, 0.7 mi from the route); Tumacácori National Historical Park (National Historical Park, mile 354, 0.2 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.