Origin
Madison Heights, MI
Morning in Madison Heights on Saturday
Local time
8:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Madison Heights, MI to Sterling Heights, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
10.7 mi
17 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 17m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 22m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 20m
5 PM
0h 22m
8 PM
0h 18m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Madison Heights, MI
Josh Sorenson
Sterling Heights, MI
fish socks
Trip Overview
This short 10.7-mile drive from Madison Heights to Sterling Heights in Michigan's Midwest region will take you about 19 minutes. It's an easy one-day trip, perfect for when you don't want to spend a lot of time on the road. You'll primarily navigate via local roads like Mound Road, East 12 Mile Road, and John R Road, with no highway driving involved. Expect a fuel cost of around $2 for this short excursion. This route is ideal for a quick local journey or an add-on to a larger Michigan adventure.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 19m. Total distance: 10.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m 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
This drive is characterized by frequent turns, offering a very local feel rather than an open highway experience. With a 0% highway share, you'll be on city streets for the entire 10.7 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 5.4 miles along Mound Road. This means you'll be constantly adjusting to traffic lights and intersections, making it a more engaged driving experience. The road profile suggests a steady pace punctuated by these turns.
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.
Mound Road is the longest continuous segment at about 5.4 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 John R 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 19m drive. You will face about 4 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 (John R Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles (East 12 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (Mound Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
John R Road
Turn left onto John R Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
East 12 Mile Road
Turn right onto East 12 Mile Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
4.3 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
Mound Road
Turn right onto Mound Road
Navigation decision point
4
9.7 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
17 Mile Road
Turn right onto 17 Mile Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Mound Road | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| East 12 Mile Road | 3 mi | 5m |
| John R Road | 1.3 mi | 3m |
| 17 Mile Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| West Cowan Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Mound Road
— 5.4 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Madison Heights, MI and Sterling Heights, MI.
1
Start on West Cowan Avenue
24 ft
·
6 sec
·
West Cowan Avenue
2
Turn left onto John R Road
1.3 mi
·
3 min
·
John R Road
Use the straight lane.
3
Turn right onto East 12 Mile Road
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
East 12 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
4
Turn right onto Mound Road
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Mound Road
5
Continue on Mound Road
5.3 mi
·
8 min
·
Mound Road
6
Turn right onto 17 Mile Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
17 Mile Road
7
Arrive at destination
17 Mile Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.67 one way
$3.35 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.84 | $3.67 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.06 | $4.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.36 | $4.72 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.12 | $0.51 |
| Efficient EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.94 | $0.43 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.50 | $0.68 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Sterling Heights, MI
Morning in Sterling Heights on Saturday
Local time
8:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°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
19 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
19m 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 Madison Heights, MI to Sterling Heights, MI covers 10.7 miles and takes about 19m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Mound Road, East 12 Mile Road, John R Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.4 miles from Madison Heights, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.67 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 19m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (John R Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles (East 12 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (Mound Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Madison Heights, MI to Sterling Heights, 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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