Page to Magdalena de Kino, Mexico Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 30 September, 2026

The Wayro route from Page to Magdalena de Kino is 511 miles (822 km), about 8 h 54 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 455 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 Magdalena de Kino. 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 borderPageMagdalena de Kino
Route from Page to Magdalena de Kino with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots) and the approximate U.S.–Mexico border crossing (red square).
Distance511 mi (822 km)
Driving time, no stops8 h 54 min
Main roads, in orderUS-89 → I-40 → I-17 → I-10 → I-19 → MEX-15D → MEX-15
Border crossingabout mile 455 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 20.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Magdalena de Kino

PassportPassport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land
FMM entry permitRequired for this trip: Magdalena de Kino is well beyond the 12-mile (20 km) border zone where the permit is not needed
Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Not needed: Magdalena de Kino 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 Page to Magdalena de Kino is like

I-17 (156 mi) and US-89 (128 mi) carry about 56% of the 511 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Arizona for about 455 miles; after the border at Nogales you have about 56 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 Page to Magdalena de Kino, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Arizona
US-892–130128Arizona
I-40130–1355Arizona
connecting roads135–1372Arizona
I-17137–293156Arizona
I-10293–39198Arizona
I-19391–45261Arizona
connecting roads452–4553Arizona
MEX-15D455–4638Sonora
MEX-15463–50643Sonora
local roads506–5115Sonora
  • Mile 455 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)

Stops between Page and Magdalena de Kino

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Montezuma Castle National Monument (mile 185), Arizona State Capitol (mile 275), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 436)
  • Nature and outdoors: Oak Creek Canyon (mile 152), Picacho Peak State Park (mile 350), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 436)
  • Museums and history: Wupatki National Monument (mile 104), Montezuma Castle National Monument (mile 185), Arizona State Capitol (mile 275), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 322), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 436)

Wupatki National Monument

Mile 104 · 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 134 · 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 152 · 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 185 · National monument · 0.5 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 275 · 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 322 · National monument · 11 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 350 · 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 436 · 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 Magdalena de Kino

About 50 miles south of the Nogales border on Federal Highway 15, Magdalena de Kino began as a Jesuit mission founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1687. The missionary's remains rest here, which draws pilgrims from both sides of the border, and the town joined Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos program in 2012.

  • Father Kino's crypt: Kino's remains lie in a mausoleum on the main plaza, where visitors can look down at them through windows. source
  • Templo de Santa María Magdalena: The town church holds the venerated reclining image of San Francisco Javier, whose feast is the biggest event on the town calendar. source
  • Misión San Ignacio de Cabórica: About 8 km (5 miles) away in the village of San Ignacio, this Kino-era mission has a carved wooden door and an original spiral staircase. source

More drives to Magdalena de Kino

From Page to other places in Mexico

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

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Page to Magdalena de Kino?

About 8 h 54 min of driving without stops, over 511 miles.

How far is Magdalena de Kino from Page by car?

About 511 miles (822 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 Page to Magdalena de Kino drive cross into Mexico?

At about mile 455 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Nogales port of entry.

Do I need a permit to drive my car from Page to Magdalena de Kino?

No vehicle permit is needed. Magdalena de Kino 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 Page to Magdalena de Kino?

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 Page to Magdalena de Kino 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 Page and Magdalena de Kino?

Closest to the road: Montezuma Castle National Monument (National monument, mile 185, 0.5 mi from the route); Arizona State Capitol (history museum, mile 275, 0.7 mi from the route); Tumacácori National Historical Park (National Historical Park, mile 436, 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.