The Wayro route from Payson to Bahía de Kino is 492 miles (792 km), about 9 h 3 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 254 on this route, near the Nogales port of entry.
| Distance | 492 mi (792 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 9 h 3 min |
| Main roads, in order | AZ 87 → AZ 101 Loop → AZ 202 Loop → I-10 → I-19 → MEX-15D → MEX-15 → SON 80 → SON 100 |
| Border crossing | about mile 254 of this route, Arizona → Sonora (near the Nogales, AZ port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Sonora (Level 3) |
| Toll roads | MEX-15D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 19.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 5 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Bahía de Kino
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Required for this trip: Bahía 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: Bahía 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 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 Payson to Bahía de Kino is like
MEX-15D (120 mi) and I-10 (98 mi) carry about 44% of the 492 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Arizona for about 254 miles; after the border at Nogales you have about 238 miles left in Mexico. The Mexican leg uses MEX-15D, a toll highway (cuota). Of the 5 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Payson to Bahía de Kino, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ 87 | 0–72 | 72 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 72–75 | 3 | Arizona |
| AZ 101 Loop | 75–86 | 11 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 86–87 | 1 | Arizona |
| AZ 202 Loop | 87–90 | 3 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 90–92 | 2 | Arizona |
| I-10 | 92–190 | 98 | Arizona |
| I-19 | 190–250 | 60 | Arizona |
| connecting roads | 250–254 | 4 | Arizona |
| MEX-15D | 254–262 | 8 | Sonora |
| MEX-15 | 262–304 | 42 | Sonora |
| MEX-15D | 304–416 | 112 | Sonora |
| SON 80 | 416–421 | 5 | Sonora |
| local roads | 421–432 | 11 | Sonora |
| SON 100 | 432–492 | 60 | Sonora |
- Mile 254 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)
Stops between Payson and Bahía de Kino
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 189), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 235)
- Nature and outdoors: Picacho Peak State Park (mile 150), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 235)
- Museums and history: Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies (mile 78), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 122), Cathedral of Saint Augustine (mile 189), Tumacácori National Historical Park (mile 235)
Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies
On the second floor of ASU's ISTB4 building in Tempe, the Buseck Center's public gallery displays the Carleton B. Moore meteorite collection, with exhibits on planet formation and real meteorites visitors can touch.
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 Bahía de Kino
Bahía de Kino is a fishing and beach town on Sonora's Sea of Cortez coast, roughly 90 minutes west of Hermosillo, named for the Jesuit missionary Eusebio Kino. Offshore lies Isla Tiburón, which Mexico's Culture Ministry calls the country's largest island; it is communally owned by the Seri (Comcaac) people and belongs to the Gulf of California islands UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2005.
- Isla Tiburón: The big island across the channel is communally owned by the Seri people, who regard it as sacred, and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage property. source
- Museo de los Seris: The small museum on the plaza in Kino Nuevo explains the history of the Seri, once seminomadic hunter-gatherers of this coast. source
- Kino Nuevo beachfront: More than 15 km of shoreline here has calm water suited to swimming and kayaking, with Kino Nuevo's strip of houses and trailer parks along it. source
More drives to Bahía de Kino
- Jerome, AZ to Bahía de Kino
- Clarkdale, AZ to Bahía de Kino
- Phoenix, AZ to Bahía de Kino
- Casa Grande, AZ to Bahía de Kino
- Silver City, NM to Bahía de Kino
- El Centro, CA to Bahía de Kino
From Payson to other places in Mexico
- Payson, AZ to Hermosillo
- Payson, AZ to Ensenada
- Payson, AZ to Puerto Peñasco
- Payson, AZ to Magdalena de Kino
- Payson, AZ to Nogales
- Payson, AZ to Agua Prieta
All routes to Bahía de Kino, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Bahía de Kino, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Payson to Bahía de Kino?
About 9 h 3 min of driving without stops, over 492 miles.
How far is Bahía de Kino from Payson by car?
About 492 miles (792 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 Payson to Bahía de Kino drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 254 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Nogales port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Payson to Bahía de Kino?
No vehicle permit is needed. Bahía 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 Payson to Bahía 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 Payson to Bahía de Kino use?
In order: AZ 87, AZ 101 Loop, AZ 202 Loop, I-10, I-19, MEX-15D, MEX-15, SON 80 and SON 100. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Payson and Bahía de Kino?
Closest to the road: Picacho Peak State Park (state park, mile 150, 2 mi from the route); Cathedral of Saint Augustine (catholic cathedral, mile 189, 0.6 mi from the route); Tumacácori National Historical Park (National Historical Park, mile 235, 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.