Origin
Arcadia, MI
Afternoon in Arcadia on Friday
Local time
4:30 PM
EDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arcadia, MI to Chief Lake, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
17.7 mi
29 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arcadia, MI
cottonbro studio
Chief Lake, MI
Enric Cruz López
Trip Overview
Arcadia, MI to Chief Lake, MI is 17.7 miles and takes about 29 minutes via Northwood Highway, Nine Mile Road, and Chief Road, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region of Michigan, offering a straightforward local drive. It's an ideal option if you're looking for a quick transition between two points without a significant time commitment or extensive planning. Consider this route for its brevity and ease of navigation, perfect for a spontaneous addition to your travels.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 29m. Total distance: 17.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with 0% highway share contributing to its distinctly non-interstate feel. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 8.8 miles on Northwood Highway, so you'll be making frequent adjustments. This drive involves navigating local roads, so pay attention to directional changes as you proceed from Northwood Highway onto Nine Mile Road and finally Chief Road. The character is consistently that of a local byway, offering a grounded, community-level driving experience.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Northwood Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near M 22 / 6th Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 29m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (M 22 / 6th Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.5 miles (M 22 / 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.6 miles (CR 598 / Eight Mile Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
M 22 / 6th Street
Turn left onto M 22 / 6th Street
Navigation decision point
3
10.5 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
M 22 / 1st Street
Turn right onto M 22 / 1st Street
Navigation decision point
3
10.6 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
CR 598 / Eight Mile Road
Turn left onto CR 598 / Eight Mile Road
Navigation decision point
4
12.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
US 31 / Chippewa Highway
Turn left onto US 31 / Chippewa Highway
Navigation decision point
3
13.1 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
CR 598 / Nine Mile Road
Turn right onto CR 598 / Nine Mile Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Northwood Highway | 8.8 mi | 12m |
| Nine Mile Road | 3 mi | 5m |
| Chief Road | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Eight Mile Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Main Street | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| Chippewa Highway | 1 mi | 1m |
| 6th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Northwood Highway
— 8.8 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arcadia, MI and Chief Lake, MI.
1
Start on CR 604
60 ft
·
6 sec
·
Glovers Lake Road
2
Turn left onto M 22
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
6th Street
3
Continue on M 22
8.8 mi
·
12 min
·
Northwood Highway
4
Continue on M 22
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Main Street
5
Turn right onto M 22
395 ft
·
16 sec
·
1st Street
6
Turn left onto CR 598
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Eight Mile Road
7
Turn left onto US 31
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Chippewa Highway
8
Turn right onto CR 598
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Nine Mile Road
9
Turn right onto Chief Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Chief Road
10
Arrive at destination
Chief Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.77 one way
$5.53 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.04 | $6.08 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.41 | $6.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.91 | $7.82 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.86 | $0.85 |
| Efficient EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.55 | $0.71 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.48 | $1.13 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Chief Lake, MI
Afternoon in Chief Lake on Friday
Local time
4:30 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
13 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
29m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Arcadia, MI to Chief Lake, MI covers 17.7 miles and takes about 29m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Northwood Highway, Nine Mile Road, Chief Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.9 miles from Arcadia, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.77 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 29m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (M 22 / 6th Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.5 miles (M 22 / 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.6 miles (CR 598 / Eight Mile Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Arcadia, MI to Chief Lake, MI does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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