Origin
Ellington, MI
Morning in Ellington on Saturday
Local time
9:28 AM
EDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ellington, MI to Vassar, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
25.6 mi
41 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 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ellington, MI
fish socks
Vassar, MI
fish socks
Trip Overview
The drive from Ellington, MI to Vassar, MI covers 25.6 miles and takes about 34m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West Sanilac Road, Mertz Road, East Caro Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9.9 miles on West Sanilac Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.00 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 34m. Total distance: 25.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 34m drive with frequent turns across 25.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West Sanilac Road is the longest continuous segment at about 9.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 5.3 miles in near M 24 / Ellington Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 25.6 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5.3 miles (M 24 / Ellington Street): Navigation decision point; at 11.3 miles (M 46 / West Sanilac Road): Navigation decision point; at 21.2 miles (South Vassar Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
5.3 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
M 24 / Ellington Street
Turn left onto M 24 / Ellington Street
Navigation decision point
4
11.3 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
M 46 / West Sanilac Road
Turn right onto M 46 / West Sanilac Road
Navigation decision point
4
21.2 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
South Vassar Road
Turn left onto South Vassar Road
Navigation decision point
4
22.1 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
South Vassar Road
Keep slight right at fork onto South Vassar Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
4
22.3 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
Waterman Road
Keep slight right at fork onto Waterman Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Sanilac Road | 9.9 mi | 11m |
| Mertz Road | 5.5 mi | 8m |
| East Caro Road | 5.3 mi | 7m |
| Waterman Road | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Cottrell Drive | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| South Vassar Road | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| West Huron Avenue | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| West Saginaw Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
West Sanilac Road
— 9.9 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ellington, MI and Vassar, MI.
1
Start on M 81
5.3 mi
·
7 min
·
East Caro Road
2
Turn left onto M 24
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
Ellington Street
3
Continue on M 24
5.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Mertz Road
4
Turn right onto M 46
9.9 mi
·
11 min
·
West Sanilac Road
5
Turn left onto South Vassar Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
South Vassar Road
6
Keep slight right at fork onto South Vassar Road
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
South Vassar Road
7
Turn straight onto Waterman Road
237 ft
·
3 sec
·
Waterman Road
8
Keep slight right at fork onto Waterman Road
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Waterman Road
9
Turn left onto Cottrell Drive
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Cottrell Drive
10
Turn left onto M 15
0.5 mi
·
45 sec
·
West Saginaw Road
11
Continue on M 15
0.7 mi
·
59 sec
·
West Huron Avenue
12
Arrive at destination
M 15
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.00 one way
$8.00 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.39 | $8.79 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.93 | $9.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.65 | $11.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.69 | $1.23 |
| Efficient EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.24 | $1.02 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.58 | $1.64 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Vassar, MI
Morning in Vassar on Saturday
Local time
9:28 AM
EDT
Current temp
44°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
34m 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 Ellington, MI to Vassar, MI covers 25.6 miles and takes about 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West Sanilac Road, Mertz Road, East Caro Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.8 miles from Ellington, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.00 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 25.6 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 5.3 miles (M 24 / Ellington Street): Navigation decision point; at 11.3 miles (M 46 / West Sanilac Road): Navigation decision point; at 21.2 miles (South Vassar Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Ellington, MI to Vassar, 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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