Origin
Onekama, MI
Afternoon in Onekama on Friday
Local time
4:31 PM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Onekama, MI to Chief Lake, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
7.9 mi
13 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 14m
★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 16m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Onekama, MI
fish socks
Chief Lake, MI
Enric Cruz López
Trip Overview
Onekama, MI to Chief Lake, MI is 7.9 miles and takes about 15m via Nine Mile Road, Eight Mile Road, and Chief Road, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within Michigan's Midwest region, offering a straightforward connection between two points. The route is predominantly local roads, meaning you'll likely encounter community traffic rather than highway speeds. Given its brief duration, this trip is ideal for a same-day excursion or as a quick leg of a larger journey through the area.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 7.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m 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 its frequent turns, making it a more engaging local experience than a highway cruise. With zero highway share, you'll be on surface streets for the entire 7.9 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 3 miles on Nine Mile Road. Expect the road to feel like a typical neighborhood or country road, requiring your attention for navigation as you transition between Nine Mile Road, Eight Mile Road, and Chief Road.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 8 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Nine Mile Road is the longest continuous segment at about 3 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 M 22 / Main 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 15m drive. You will face about 6 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 (M 22 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (M 22 / 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (CR 598 / Eight Mile Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
M 22 / Main Street
Turn left onto M 22 / Main Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
M 22 / 1st Street
Turn right onto M 22 / 1st Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 598 / Eight Mile Road
Turn left onto CR 598 / Eight Mile Road
Navigation decision point
4
2.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 31 / Chippewa Highway
Turn left onto US 31 / Chippewa Highway
Navigation decision point
3
3.2 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
CR 598 / Nine Mile Road
Turn right onto CR 598 / Nine Mile Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Nine Mile Road | 3 mi | 5m |
| Chief Road | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Eight Mile Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Chippewa Highway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Mill Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Nine Mile Road
— 3 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Onekama, MI and Chief Lake, MI.
1
Start on Mill Street
106 ft
·
8 sec
·
Mill Street
2
Turn left onto M 22
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
3
Turn right onto M 22
395 ft
·
16 sec
·
1st Street
4
Turn left onto CR 598
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Eight Mile Road
5
Turn left onto US 31
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Chippewa Highway
6
Turn right onto CR 598
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Nine Mile Road
7
Turn right onto Chief Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Chief Road
8
Arrive at destination
Chief Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.24 one way
$2.47 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.36 | $2.71 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.52 | $3.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.74 | $3.49 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.4 | 0 | $0.83 | $0.38 |
| Efficient EV | 2 | 0 | $0.69 | $0.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.11 | $0.51 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Chief Lake, MI
Afternoon in Chief Lake on Friday
Local time
4:31 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°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
3 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
15m 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 Onekama, MI to Chief Lake, MI covers 7.9 miles and takes about 15m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Nine Mile Road, Chief Road, Eight Mile Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.9 miles from Onekama, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.24 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 15m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (M 22 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (M 22 / 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (CR 598 / Eight Mile Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Onekama, MI to Chief Lake, 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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