Origin
Dayton, MI
Afternoon in Dayton on Friday
Local time
1:33 PM
EDT
Current temp
65°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Dayton, MI to Buchanan, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
9m
Distance
5.2 mi
8 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 9m
★
6 AM
0h 10m
8 AM
0h 11m
10 AM
0h 10m
12 PM
0h 10m
3 PM
0h 10m
5 PM
0h 11m
8 PM
0h 9m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Dayton, MI
fish socks
Buchanan, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Dayton, MI to Buchanan, MI covers 5.2 miles and takes about 9m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East Galien Buchanan Road, Dayton Road, Terre Coupe Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.4 miles on East Galien Buchanan Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $0.81 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 9m. Total distance: 5.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
9m 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 9m drive with frequent turns across 5.2 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East Galien Buchanan Road is the longest continuous segment at about 2.4 miles.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
743 ft
690 ft
Total Climb
48 ft
Total Descent
100 ft
Highest Point
743 ft
~2.6 mi in
Elevation Range
53 ft
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 around 1.2 miles in near East Galien Buchanan Road.
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 9m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles (East Galien Buchanan Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.6 miles (Bakertown Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.7 miles (Terre Coupe Street): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
East Galien Buchanan Road
Turn right onto East Galien Buchanan Road
Navigation decision point
4
3.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Bakertown Road
At end of road, turn left onto Bakertown Road
Navigation decision point
3
3.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Terre Coupe Street
Turn right onto Terre Coupe Street
Navigation decision point
3
4.8 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
West Front Street
Turn right onto West Front Street
Navigation decision point
4
5.2 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
South Oak Street
Turn right onto South Oak Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Galien Buchanan Road | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Dayton Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Terre Coupe Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| West Front Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Bakertown Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Oak Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Galien Buchanan Road
— 2.4 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Dayton, MI and Buchanan, MI.
1
Start on Dayton Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Dayton Road
2
Turn right onto East Galien Buchanan Road
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
East Galien Buchanan Road
3
At end of road, turn left onto Bakertown Road
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
Bakertown Road
4
Turn right onto Terre Coupe Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Terre Coupe Street
5
Turn right onto West Front Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Front Street
6
Turn right onto South Oak Street
29 ft
·
1 sec
·
South Oak Street
7
Arrive at destination
South Oak Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$0.81 one way
$1.63 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $0.89 | $1.79 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.00 | $2.00 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.15 | $2.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 1.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 1.6 | 0 | $0.55 | $0.25 |
| Efficient EV | 1.3 | 0 | $0.45 | $0.21 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.73 | $0.33 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Buchanan, MI
Afternoon in Buchanan on Friday
Local time
1:33 PM
EDT
Current temp
48°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
17 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
9m 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 Dayton, MI to Buchanan, MI covers 5.2 miles and takes about 9m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East Galien Buchanan Road, Dayton Road, Terre Coupe Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 2.6 miles from Dayton, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $0.81 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 9m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles (East Galien Buchanan Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.6 miles (Bakertown Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.7 miles (Terre Coupe Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from Dayton, MI to Buchanan, MI does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Mostly flat terrain. The route ranges from 690 ft to 743 ft elevation with about 48 ft of total climbing.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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