The Wayro route from Fountain Hills to Ciudad Juárez is 452 miles (727 km), about 7 h 16 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 446 on this route, near the El Paso port of entry.
| Distance | 452 mi (727 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 16 min |
| Main roads, in order | AZ 87 → AZ 101 Loop → AZ 202 Loop → I-10 → US-85 |
| Border crossing | about mile 446 of this route, Texas → Chihuahua (near the El Paso, TX port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Chihuahua (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 6 |
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 El Paso
El Paso and Ciudad Juárez are joined by several Rio Grande bridges, including Paso del Norte downtown for pedestrians and northbound cars, Stanton Street with a northbound SENTRI lane, and the Bridge of the Americas for passenger vehicles and trucks. Paso del Norte also has Ready Lanes.
Sources: [1]
What the drive from Fountain Hills to Ciudad Juárez is like
I-10 (406 mi) and AZ 87 (11 mi) carry about 92% of the 452 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas for about 446 miles; after the border at El Paso you have about 6 miles left in Mexico. Of the 6 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Fountain Hills to Ciudad Juárez, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Arizona |
| AZ 87 | 4–15 | 11 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 15–18 | 3 | Arizona |
| AZ 101 Loop | 18–29 | 11 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 29–30 | 1 | Arizona |
| AZ 202 Loop | 30–34 | 4 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 34–35 | 1 | Arizona |
| I-10 | 35–441 | 406 | Arizona, New Mexico, Texas |
| US-85 | 441–449 | 8 | Texas, Chihuahua |
| local roads | 449–452 | 3 | Chihuahua |
- Mile 265 of this route: Arizona → New Mexico (state line)
- Mile 429 of this route: New Mexico → Texas (state line)
- Mile 446 of this route: Texas → Chihuahua (international border)
Stops between Fountain Hills and Ciudad Juárez
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 132), Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library (mile 287)
- Nature and outdoors: Picacho Peak State Park (mile 93)
- Museums and history: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 65), Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 132), Pima Air & Space Museum (mile 141), Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library (mile 287), Prehistoric Trackways National Monument (mile 399)
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.
Pima Air & Space Museum
Open since 1976, Tucson's aerospace museum spreads across 80 acres with about 400 historic aircraft, ranging from a Wright Flyer to a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, shown outdoors and in six indoor exhibit hangars.
Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library
Built in 1936–37 as a Works Progress Administration project, this single-story adobe library in Lordsburg keeps its original floor plan and stained glass windows, and it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prehistoric Trackways National Monument
In the Robledo Mountains near Las Cruces, this BLM monument protects 280-million-year-old Early Permian footprints of amphibians, reptiles, and insects, left long before the dinosaurs, and offers hiking.
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.
Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick
The seat of the Diocese of El Paso, this cathedral dedicated in 1917 blends Byzantine and Romanesque styles and features a 27-foot marble altar, Emil Frei stained-glass windows, and a centuries-old painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Zacatecas.
More drives to Ciudad Juárez
- Roswell, NM 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
- Fredericksburg, TX to Ciudad Juárez
From Fountain Hills to other places in Mexico
- Fountain Hills, AZ to Sonoyta
- Fountain Hills, AZ to Agua Prieta
- Fountain Hills, AZ to Nuevo Casas Grandes
- Fountain Hills, AZ to San Quintín
- Fountain Hills, AZ to Guaymas
- Fountain Hills, AZ to Cananea
All routes to Ciudad Juárez, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Fountain Hills to Ciudad Juárez?
About 7 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 452 miles.
How far is Ciudad Juárez from Fountain Hills by car?
About 452 miles (727 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 Fountain Hills to Ciudad Juárez drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 446 of this route, from Texas into Chihuahua, near the El Paso port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Fountain Hills 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 Fountain Hills 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 Fountain Hills to Ciudad Juárez use?
In order: AZ 87, AZ 101 Loop, AZ 202 Loop, I-10 and US-85. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Fountain Hills and Ciudad Juárez?
Closest to the road: Cathedral of Saint Augustine (catholic cathedral, mile 132, 0.6 mi from the route); Pima Air & Space Museum (aviation museum, mile 141, 1 mi from the route); Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library (main library, mile 287, 0.5 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.