The Wayro route from Las Vegas to Cananea is 533 miles (857 km), about 10 h 18 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 470 on this route, near the Nogales port of entry.
| Distance | 533 mi (857 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 10 h 18 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-11 → US-93 BUS → US-93 → I-40 → US-60 → AZ 101 Loop → I-10 → I-19 → SON 196 → MEX-2 |
| Border crossing | about mile 470 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 21.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 7 |
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 Las Vegas to Cananea is like
US-93 (175 mi) and I-10 (125 mi) carry about 56% of the 533 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Nevada, Arizona for about 470 miles; after the border at Nogales you have about 63 miles left in Mexico. Of the 7 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Las Vegas to Cananea, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Nevada |
| I-11 | 1–21 | 20 | Nevada |
| US-93 BUS | 21–31 | 10 | Nevada |
| I-11 | 31–35 | 4 | Nevada, Arizona |
| US-93 | 35–103 | 68 | Arizona |
| I-40 | 103–125 | 22 | Arizona |
| US-93 | 125–232 | 107 | Arizona |
| US-60 | 232–270 | 38 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 270–271 | 1 | Arizona |
| AZ 101 Loop | 271–280 | 9 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 280–281 | 1 | Arizona |
| I-10 | 281–406 | 125 | Arizona |
| I-19 | 406–470 | 64 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 470–475 | 5 | Sonora |
| SON 196 | 475–510 | 35 | Sonora |
| MEX-2 | 510–529 | 19 | Sonora |
| local roads | 529–533 | 4 | Sonora |
- Mile 33 of this route: Nevada → Arizona (state line)
- Mile 470 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)
Stops between Las Vegas and Cananea
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Lake Mead National Recreation Area (mile 29), Hoover Dam (mile 33), Arizona State Capitol (mile 290), Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 405), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 451)
- Nature and outdoors: Lake Mead National Recreation Area (mile 29), Picacho Peak State Park (mile 366), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 451)
- Museums and history: Arizona State Capitol (mile 290), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 338), Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 405), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 451)
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Spanning 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, and valleys in Nevada and Arizona, this national recreation area surrounds Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, drawing visitors for boating, fishing, hiking, camping, scenic drives, and kayaking on the Black Canyon Water Trail.
Hoover Dam
Completed in 1936, this concrete arch-gravity dam rises more than 726 feet in Black Canyon on the Arizona–Nevada line. Guided dam and power plant tours lead through tunnels, and the visitor center's observation deck overlooks the Colorado River and Lake Mead.
Arizona State Capitol
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
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 Las Vegas to other places in Mexico
- Las Vegas, NV to Nogales
- Las Vegas, NV to San Felipe
- Las Vegas, NV to San Luis Río Colorado
- Las Vegas, NV to Magdalena de Kino
- Las Vegas, NV to Puerto Peñasco
- Las Vegas, NV to Tecate
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 Las Vegas to Cananea?
About 10 h 18 min of driving without stops, over 533 miles.
How far is Cananea from Las Vegas by car?
About 533 miles (857 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 Las Vegas to Cananea drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 470 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Nogales port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas to Cananea use?
In order: I-11, US-93 BUS, US-93, I-40, US-60, AZ 101 Loop, 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 Las Vegas and Cananea?
Closest to the road: Lake Mead National Recreation Area (National recreation area, mile 29, 0.2 mi from the route); Hoover Dam (embankment dam, mile 33, 0.4 mi from the route); Tumacácori National Historical Park (National Historical Park, mile 451, 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.