The Wayro route from Cave Creek to Cananea is 268 miles (432 km), about 5 h 13 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 207 on this route, near the Nogales port of entry.
| Distance | 268 mi (432 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 5 h 13 min |
| Main roads, in order | AZ 51 → I-10 → I-19 → SON 196 → MEX-2 |
| Border crossing | about mile 207 of this route, Arizona → Sonora (near the Nogales, AZ port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Sonora (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 10.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 6 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Cananea
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Required for this trip: Cananea is well beyond the 12-mile (20 km) border zone where the permit is not needed |
| Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) | Not needed: Cananea 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 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. 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.
What the drive from Cave Creek to Cananea is like
I-10 (113 mi) and I-19 (64 mi) carry about 66% of the 268 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Arizona for about 207 miles; after the border at Nogales you have about 61 miles left in Mexico. Of the 6 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Cave Creek to Cananea, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–12 | 12 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 12–14 | 2 | Arizona |
| AZ 51 | 14–29 | 15 | Arizona |
| I-10 | 29–142 | 113 | Arizona |
| I-19 | 142–206 | 64 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 206–210 | 4 | Arizona, Sonora |
| SON 196 | 210–246 | 36 | Sonora |
| MEX-2 | 246–265 | 19 | Sonora |
| local roads | 265–268 | 3 | Sonora |
- Mile 207 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)
Stops between Cave Creek and Cananea
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Musical Instrument Museum (mile 12), Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 140), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 187)
- Nature and outdoors: Picacho Peak State Park (mile 102), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 187)
- Museums and history: Musical Instrument Museum (mile 12), Arizona State University Art Museum (mile 36), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 74), Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 140), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 187)
Musical Instrument Museum
Phoenix's Musical Instrument Museum displays thousands of instruments from more than 200 countries and territories in five geographic galleries, plus an Experience Gallery where visitors can play instruments themselves.
Arizona State University Art Museum
Housed in Antoine Predock's Nelson Fine Arts Center, opened in 1989 on ASU's Tempe campus, the museum fills three floors with exhibitions drawn from a collection begun in 1950.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
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
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.
Cathedral of Saint Augustine
Mother church of the Diocese of Tucson, this downtown cathedral wears a 1928 cast-stone façade inspired by the Cathedral of Querétaro, Mexico, decorated with yucca and saguaro blossoms and a depiction of Mission San Xavier del Bac.
Tumacácori National Historical Park
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 Cananea
High in the mountains of northern Sonora, about an hour south of the Arizona line at Naco, Cananea is a copper-mining town that Mexico's Culture Ministry calls a cradle of the Mexican Revolution. Its museums, old mining district and the giant working mine tell the story of the miners whose labor struggle earned the town that place in history.
- Museo de la Lucha Obrera (Cananea jail): The town's old jail now houses a museum of the labor struggle that made Cananea's miners part of Mexico's revolutionary history. source
- Barrio El Ronquillo: Walk the historic El Ronquillo district, the old heart of the mining settlement that grew up around the copper operations. source
- Casa Coronel Greene: The house of Colonel William C. Greene, the American who founded the town's early copper company, is one of Cananea's listed points of interest. source
More drives to Cananea
- Tuba City, AZ to Cananea
- Gallup, NM to Cananea
- Palm Desert, CA to Cananea
- Scottsdale, AZ to Cananea
- Apache Junction, AZ to Cananea
- Laughlin, NV to Cananea
From Cave Creek to other places in Mexico
- Cave Creek, AZ to Magdalena de Kino
- Cave Creek, AZ to Ciudad Obregón
- Cave Creek, AZ to Agua Prieta
- Cave Creek, AZ to Tijuana
- Cave Creek, AZ to Mexicali
- Cave Creek, AZ to Guaymas
All routes to Cananea, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Cananea, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Cave Creek to Cananea?
About 5 h 13 min of driving without stops, over 268 miles.
How far is Cananea from Cave Creek by car?
About 268 miles (432 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 Cave Creek to Cananea drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 207 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Nogales port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Cave Creek to Cananea?
No vehicle permit is needed. Cananea 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 Cave Creek to Cananea?
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 Cave Creek to Cananea use?
In order: AZ 51, I-10, I-19, SON 196 and MEX-2. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Cave Creek and Cananea?
Closest to the road: Musical Instrument Museum (musical instrument museum, mile 12, 0.4 mi from the route); Cathedral of Saint Augustine (catholic cathedral, mile 140, 0.6 mi from the route); Tumacácori National Historical Park (National Historical Park, mile 187, 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.