How Far Is Prescott From Phoenix? The Drive, Start to Finish

Prescott is 99 miles from Phoenix, and the drive takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. From Sky Harbor airport, add fifteen minutes or so depending on the terminal.

The route

Take I-17 north out of Phoenix for roughly 65 miles, then exit onto AZ-69 at Cordes Junction. AZ-69 runs 34 miles northwest through Prescott Valley and into Prescott.

You’ll pass Anthem, Black Canyon City, Cordes Junction and Prescott Valley. There’s one genuine mountain grade, the climb out of Black Canyon City, where trucks slow to a crawl in the right lane.

You climb a mile

Phoenix sits at about 1,100 feet. Prescott is at 5,354 feet. Groom Creek, the pine neighborhood just south of town, is up near 6,400 feet.

You gain over a mile of elevation in under two hours, and you feel it. Leave Phoenix at 108 degrees in July and you’ll step out in Prescott into the mid-eighties, in pine shade, with a breeze. That temperature drop is why the drive gets busy every summer weekend.

When not to drive it

Sunday afternoons southbound. Everyone who came up for the weekend goes home between 2 and 6 PM, and I-17 south backs up badly at the Black Canyon City grade. Leave before noon or after dinner.

Friday afternoons northbound are the mirror image, though usually gentler.

Winter storms. Prescott only averages 12 to 15 inches of snow a year, but AZ-69 and the higher stretches of I-17 do close occasionally. Check ADOT before you leave if there’s weather.

Worth stopping for

• Sunset Point rest area on I-17, about halfway. The view down into the desert is worth five minutes.
• Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City, famous for pie, right off the freeway.
• Arcosanti, the experimental desert town at Cordes Junction, a mile off the exit you’re already taking.

Flying instead

Prescott Regional Airport (PRC) is 8 miles north of downtown and has commercial service, but the flight from Phoenix is short, infrequent and usually costs more than the drive. Almost everyone drives.

Once you’re here

Downtown Prescott and Whiskey Row are right where AZ-69 lands you. If you’re staying south of town in the pines, it’s another 6.5 miles up the hill to Groom Creek, where Goldwater Lake is three miles away and the Groom Creek Loop and Spruce Mountain trailheads are minutes from the door.

Where to stay

Our two cabins sit in the Groom Creek pines, about two hours door to door from Phoenix. Both have a private hot tub, a fireplace and self check-in from 4:00 PM, which makes a Friday-after-work arrival straightforward. Check the calendar.