Origin
East Tawas, MI
Afternoon in East Tawas on Thursday
Local time
2:06 PM
EDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from East Tawas, MI to Long Lake, MI
Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026
Drive Time
42m
Distance
28.5 mi
46 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
East Tawas, MI
fish socks
Long Lake, MI
Jacob Postuma
Trip Overview
The drive from East Tawas, MI to Long Lake, MI covers 28.5 miles and takes about 42m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on M 55 East, M 65, State Highway 65 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.2 miles on M 55 East. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.46 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 28.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (9%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 42m drive with frequent turns across 28.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
M 55 East is the longest continuous segment at about 14.2 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 around 1 miles in near M 55 / Hemlock 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 42m 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 miles (M 55 / Hemlock Street): Navigation decision point; at 15.8 miles (M 65 / State Highway 65): Navigation decision point; at 22.8 miles (West Main 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.
3
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
M 55 / Hemlock Street
Turn right onto M 55 / Hemlock Street
Navigation decision point
4
15.8 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
M 65 / State Highway 65
Turn right onto M 65 / State Highway 65
Navigation decision point
4
22.8 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
West Main Street
Turn left onto West Main Street
Navigation decision point
3
23.7 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
Putnam Road
Turn right onto Putnam Road
Navigation decision point
4
24.7 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
West Webb
Keep slight left at fork onto West Webb
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| M 55 East | 14.2 mi | 21m |
| M 65 | 4.4 mi | 5m |
| State Highway 65 | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| Long Lake Road | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| Putnam Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Webb | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Esmond Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West Bay Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
M 55 East
— 14.2 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between East Tawas, MI and Long Lake, MI.
1
Start on US 23
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Bay Street
2
Continue on US 23
0.4 mi
·
58 sec
·
East Lake Street
3
Turn right onto M 55
0.6 mi
·
49 sec
·
Hemlock Street
4
Continue on M 55
14 mi
·
21 min
·
M 55 East
5
Turn right onto M 65
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
State Highway 65
6
Continue on M 65
4.4 mi
·
5 min
·
M 65
7
Continue on M 65
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
State Highway 65
8
Turn left onto West Main Street
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
West Main Street
9
Continue on West Esmond Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Esmond Road
10
Turn right onto Putnam Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Putnam Road
11
Keep slight left at fork onto West Webb
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Webb
12
Continue on Long Lake Road
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Long Lake Road
13
Continue on Wilson Creek
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
Wilson Creek
14
Continue on North Wilson Creek Road
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
North Wilson Creek Road
15
Continue on Long Lake Road
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Long Lake Road
16
Arrive at destination
Long Lake Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.46 one way
$8.91 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.89 | $9.78 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.48 | $10.97 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.29 | $12.58 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 10 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.99 | $1.37 |
| Efficient EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.49 | $1.14 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.4 | 0 | $3.99 | $1.82 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Long Lake, MI
Afternoon in Long Lake on Thursday
Local time
2:06 PM
EDT
Current temp
35°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
6 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
42m 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 East Tawas, MI to Long Lake, MI covers 28.5 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are M 55 East, M 65, State Highway 65. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.2 miles from East Tawas, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.46 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 42m 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 miles (M 55 / Hemlock Street): Navigation decision point; at 15.8 miles (M 65 / State Highway 65): Navigation decision point; at 22.8 miles (West Main Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from East Tawas, MI to Long Lake, MI does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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