The Wayro route from Santa Fe to Cananea is 507 miles (816 km), about 9 h 21 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 455 on this route, near the Douglas port of entry.
| Distance | 507 mi (816 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 9 h 21 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-25 → NM 26 → I-10 → US-80 Hist → MEX-2 |
| Border crossing | about mile 455 of this route, Arizona → Sonora (near the Douglas, AZ port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Sonora (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 20.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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 Douglas
The Raul Hector Castro port in Douglas sits directly across from Agua Prieta, Sonora. It inspects passenger vehicles, pedestrians and commercial trucks, and GSA plans to move truck traffic to a new stand-alone commercial port about 4.5 miles away.
What the drive from Santa Fe to Cananea is like
I-25 (242 mi) and US-80 Hist (80 mi) carry about 64% of the 507 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through New Mexico, Arizona for about 455 miles; after the border at Douglas you have about 52 miles left in Mexico. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Santa Fe to Cananea, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | New Mexico |
| I-25 | 4–246 | 242 | New Mexico |
| connecting roads | 246–248 | 2 | New Mexico |
| NM 26 | 248–294 | 46 | New Mexico |
| connecting roads | 294–296 | 2 | New Mexico |
| I-10 | 296–372 | 76 | New Mexico |
| US-80 Hist | 372–452 | 80 | New Mexico, Arizona |
| connecting roads | 452–456 | 4 | Arizona, Sonora |
| MEX-2 | 456–505 | 49 | Sonora |
| local roads | 505–507 | 2 | Sonora |
- Mile 405 of this route: New Mexico → Arizona (state line)
- Mile 455 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)
Stops between Santa Fe and Cananea
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex (mile 117), San Miguel de Socorro (mile 139), Downtown Deming Historic District (mile 296), Douglas Historic District (mile 453)
- Nature and outdoors: Cerrillos Hills State Park (mile 20), New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (mile 63), Elephant Butte Lake State Park (mile 169)
- Museums and history: Coronado Historic Site (mile 45), Petroglyph National Monument (mile 62), New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (mile 63), San Miguel de Socorro (mile 139), Downtown Deming Historic District (mile 296), Douglas Historic District (mile 453)
- With kids: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (mile 63)
Cerrillos Hills State Park
In the village of Cerrillos on the Turquoise Trail, this day-use park has five miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding past historic mine sites, with views of the Sandia, Ortiz, Jemez and Sangre de Cristo ranges.
Coronado Historic Site
In Bernalillo, this state historic site preserves the ruins of Kuaua, a pueblo begun around 1300 that grew to more than 1,000 rooms; its visitor center displays kiva murals uncovered in the 1930s.
Petroglyph National Monument
Native Americans and Spanish settlers carved images into volcanic rock here 400 to 700 years ago. On Albuquerque's West Side, trails in Boca Negra, Rinconada, and Piedras Marcadas canyons pass hundreds of petroglyphs, and the Volcanoes area has dormant cinder cones.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Near Old Town Albuquerque, this museum showcases dinosaur fossils alongside exhibits on space and volcanoes, while a planetarium and the DynaTheater add shows to a visit.
Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex
North of Socorro off I-25, this state waterfowl area known as Bernardo has a 3-mile driving loop and three elevated viewing platforms, and sandhill cranes gather here during migration.
San Miguel de Socorro
Socorro's Catholic parish church was rebuilt around 1800 on the ruins of a 1620s Spanish mission, a few blocks from the Plaza. Inside, look for massive adobe walls, large carved vigas and corbel arches.
Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Described by the state as New Mexico's largest state park, this reservoir park off I-25 offers fishing, camping on developed sites and beaches, and about 15 miles of trails.
Downtown Deming Historic District
Downtown Deming's historic commercial blocks include the 1893 Old Deming National Bank and the 1912 Mahoney Building; the city's self-guided walking tour starts at the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum, housed in a 1917 armory.
Douglas Historic District
Douglas grew up as a Phelps Dodge copper-smelting town, and this National Register district along G Avenue preserves its 1901-1935 commercial core, including the 1906 Gadsden Hotel and the terra-cotta-fronted Grand Theatre.
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 Santa Fe to other places in Mexico
- Santa Fe, NM to Ciudad Juárez
- Santa Fe, NM to Agua Prieta
- Santa Fe, NM to Nuevo Casas Grandes
- Santa Fe, NM to Nogales
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 Santa Fe to Cananea?
About 9 h 21 min of driving without stops, over 507 miles.
How far is Cananea from Santa Fe by car?
About 507 miles (816 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 Santa Fe to Cananea drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 455 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Douglas port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe to Cananea use?
In order: I-25, NM 26, I-10, US-80 Hist and MEX-2. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Santa Fe and Cananea?
Closest to the road: San Miguel de Socorro (spanish mission, mile 139, 0.4 mi from the route); Downtown Deming Historic District (historic district, mile 296, 0.2 mi from the route); Douglas Historic District (historic district, mile 453, 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.