Trip from Detroit, MI to Baraga, MI

Drive Time

9h 58m

Distance

526.1 mi

847 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

2-day trip

Fuel Cost

$80

one way

EV Charging

station data

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 27 min

4 AM

9h 50m ★

6 AM

9h 59m

8 AM

10h 17m

10 AM

10h 5m

12 PM

10h 3m

3 PM

10h 6m

5 PM

10h 16m

8 PM

9h 53m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly

Google Maps Waze Apple Maps

Download GPX

Trip Overview

The drive from Detroit, MI to Baraga, MI covers 526.1 miles and takes about 9h 58m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.

The route leans on Cadillac Square, Randolph Street, Monroe Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $79.91 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Best split across 2 days

Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.

Break Rhythm

2 planned breaks

Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

Midpoint

263 miles from Detroit, MI

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 59m into the drive .

Drive Character

At 526.1 miles and 9h 58m of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. The main roads are Cadillac Square and Randolph Street.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.

There are about 33 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.

Cadillac Square is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

At 9h 58m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.

Route Complexity 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

The route itself is not hard, but at 9h 58m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Detroit, MI to Baraga, MI is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Cadillac Square	Unavailable	Refreshing
Randolph Street	Unavailable	Refreshing
Monroe Street	Unavailable	Refreshing
Chrysler Drive	Unavailable	Refreshing
Walter P	Unavailable	Refreshing
I 75	Unavailable	Refreshing
US 2	Unavailable	Refreshing
US-2 West	Unavailable	Refreshing

Per-road distance and duration are being refreshed from OSRM for this route.

Longest stretch: Cadillac Square — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Detroit, MI and Baraga, MI.

Start on Cadillac Square

0.1 mi · 29 sec · Cadillac Square

Continue on Cadillac Square

98 ft · 4 sec · Cadillac Square

Turn slight left onto Randolph Street

0.2 mi · 38 sec · Randolph Street

Turn right onto Monroe Street

0.4 mi · 1 min · Monroe Street

At the end of the road, turn left onto Chrysler Drive

33 ft · 1 sec · Chrysler Drive

Take the ramp slight left

0.2 mi · 21 sec

Merge slight left onto Walter P. Chrysler Freeway

60 mi · 1 hr 5 min · Walter P. Chrysler Freeway

Keep slight left to continue on I 75: Saginaw

52 mi · 56 min · I 75: Saginaw

Keep slight left

63 mi · 1 hr 3 min

Keep slight left

118 mi · 2 hr 1 min

Take the exit slight right toward US 2: Manistique, Escanaba

0.4 mi · 1 min · US 2: Manistique, Escanaba

Merge slight left onto US-2 West

0.7 mi · 1 min · US-2 West

Continue on US 2

3.2 mi · 3 min · US 2

Continue on US-2 West

61 mi · 1 hr 11 min · US-2 West

Turn right

17 mi · 20 min

Turn sharp left onto M-28

35 mi · 41 min · M-28

Continue on Cedar Street

0.2 mi · 29 sec · Cedar Street

Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward East Munising

194 ft · 11 sec · East Munising

Exit the roundabout onto East Munising

2.2 mi · 4 min · East Munising

Continue on M-28

36 mi · 42 min · M-28

Continue on Cherry Creek Road

1.8 mi · 2 min · Cherry Creek Road

Turn right onto County Road 480

13 mi · 18 min · County Road 480

Continue on Rail Street

0.4 mi · 36 sec · Rail Street

Turn right onto Division Street

502 ft · 11 sec · Division Street

Turn right onto West Main Street

440 ft · 13 sec · West Main Street

Turn left onto North Teal Lake Avenue

0.5 mi · 53 sec · North Teal Lake Avenue

Turn left onto US Highway 41

2.7 mi · 4 min · US Highway 41

Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward the route

82 ft · 5 sec · the route

Exit the roundabout

0.9 mi · 1 min

Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward the route

89 ft · 5 sec · the route

Exit the roundabout

57 mi · 1 hr 13 min

Turn left onto State Avenue

469 ft · 21 sec · State Avenue

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.

Evening Departure

This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.

This drive is better paced as a 2-day trip.

Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.

The halfway point lands around 263 miles from Detroit, MI, or about 4h 59m into the drive.

Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 116 miles or 2h 12m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 263 miles or 4h 59m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Overnight split

Day 1 wrap after about 263 miles or 4h 59m

Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 8h 50m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Baraga, MI than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

Open the route before leaving Detroit, MI so your first major turns are already loaded.

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.

Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Detroit, MI

Aim for roughly 263 miles and 5 hours of wheel time on this day.

Day 2

Finish the approach into Baraga, MI

Aim for roughly 263 miles and 5 hours of wheel time on this day.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 116 miles from Detroit, MI.

This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.

Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 263 mi from Detroit, MI · 4h 59m into the drive

First major stop

Coffee and fuel

Skidway Lake, MI

174 mi into the route

Best for: Coffee, fuel, and an easy first stretch

This is a natural early stop once the first hours of the drive are behind you.

Second major stop

Overnight candidate

Flat Rock, MI

347 mi into the route

Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start

This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.

Find hotels in Flat Rock, MI

Overnight Options

Night 1

Dafter, MI

263 mi · about 5h in

A practical overnight split lands near Dafter, MI after about 263 miles or 5 hours of driving.

Find hotels

Pacing Suggestions

Skidway Lake, MI

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 116 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Dafter, MI

Meal break

The midpoint is around 263 miles from Detroit, MI, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Overnight split

Hotel stop

For a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 263 miles or 5 hours on the road.

Arriving in Baraga, MI

The final approach into Baraga, MI usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Baraga, MI.

On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Baraga, MI with some flexibility left in the schedule.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$79.91 one way

$159.82 round trip

$3.86/gal 25.4 MPG avg 184 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$4.25	$88.09	$176.18
premium	$4.80	$99.32	$198.63
diesel	$5.64	$116.88	$233.76

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$80

Hotel (1n)

$80–$140

Meals

$50–$100

Total

$210–$320

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 184.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-06.

Driving Electric?

About $55 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	Stops	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	157.8	1	$55.24	$25.25
Efficient EV	131.5	1	$46.03	$21.04
EV Truck/SUV	210.4	2	$73.65	$33.67

Gas CO2

184 kg

EV CO2

62 kg (66% less)

Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.

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.

Forecast data refreshed 3 days ago

Origin

Detroit, MI

Evening in Detroit on Sunday

Local time

6:55 PM

EDT

Current temp

48°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Baraga, MI

Evening in Baraga on Sunday

Local time

6:55 PM

EDT

Current temp

59°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Along the Route

46°F

Flat Rock, MI

347 mi in

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.

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

11 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

9h 58m on the road

This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Detroit, MI to Baraga, MI covers 526.1 miles and takes about 9h 58m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Cadillac Square, Randolph Street, Monroe Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.

Yes. This route is usually more comfortable as a 2-day drive. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 263 miles on day one.

The midpoint is about 263 miles from Detroit, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $79.91 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.

Plan about 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

The route itself is not hard, but at 9h 58m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Detroit, MI to Baraga, MI is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Detroit, MI to Baraga, MI does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.