The Wayro route from Silver City to Cananea is 196 miles (315 km), about 4 h 12 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 144 on this route, near the Douglas port of entry.
| Distance | 196 mi (315 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 4 h 12 min |
| Main roads, in order | NM 90 → I-10 → US-80 Hist → MEX-2 |
| Border crossing | about mile 144 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 7.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 4 |
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 Silver City to Cananea is like
US-80 Hist (81 mi) and MEX-2 (48 mi) carry about 66% of the 196 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through New Mexico, Arizona for about 144 miles; after the border at Douglas you have about 52 miles left in Mexico. Of the 4 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Silver City to Cananea, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | New Mexico |
| NM 90 | 1–42 | 41 | New Mexico |
| connecting roads | 42–46 | 4 | New Mexico |
| I-10 | 46–60 | 14 | New Mexico |
| US-80 Hist | 60–141 | 81 | New Mexico, Arizona |
| connecting roads | 141–145 | 4 | Arizona, Sonora |
| MEX-2 | 145–193 | 48 | Sonora |
| local roads | 193–196 | 3 | Sonora |
- Mile 93 of this route: New Mexico → Arizona (state line)
- Mile 144 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)
Stops between Silver City and Cananea
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library (mile 44), Lordsburg Hidalgo County Museum (mile 44), Gadsden Hotel (mile 142), Douglas Historic District (mile 142)
- Museums and history: Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library (mile 44), Lordsburg Hidalgo County Museum (mile 44), Douglas Historic District (mile 142)
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.
Lordsburg Hidalgo County Museum
The Lordsburg Hidalgo County Museum in Lordsburg, New Mexico, has a World War II internment and POW exhibit and a Hidalgo County Cattle Growers Association Hall of Fame room.
Gadsden Hotel
Opened in 1907 and rebuilt after a 1928 fire, this downtown Douglas hotel has a lobby with a white Italian marble staircase, gold-leafed marble columns, and a 42-foot stained-glass desert mural by Ralph Baker.
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 Silver City to other places in Mexico
- Silver City, NM to Mexicali
- Silver City, NM to Nuevo Casas Grandes
- Silver City, NM to Creel
- Silver City, NM to Bahía de Kino
- Silver City, NM to Magdalena de Kino
- Silver City, NM to Cuauhtémoc
All routes to Cananea, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Cananea, Mexico from the U.S.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Silver City to Cananea?
About 4 h 12 min of driving without stops, over 196 miles.
How far is Cananea from Silver City by car?
About 196 miles (315 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 Silver City to Cananea drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 144 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the Douglas port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Silver City 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 Silver City 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 Silver City to Cananea use?
In order: NM 90, 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 Silver City and Cananea?
Closest to the road: Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Library (main library, mile 44, 0.3 mi from the route); Gadsden Hotel (hotel, mile 142, 0.2 mi from the route); Douglas Historic District (historic district, mile 142, 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.