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Trip from Rochester Hills, MI to Dearborn Heights, MI

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

47m

Distance

29.7 mi

48 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 44m ★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m

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

city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States

Rochester Hills, MI

Wikimedia Commons

city in Wayne County, Michigan, USA

Dearborn Heights, MI

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Rochester Hills, MI to Dearborn Heights, MI covers 29.7 miles and takes about 47m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on South Telegraph Road, Telegraph Road, M 59 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.2 miles on South Telegraph Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.64 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 47m. Total distance: 29.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

47m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 47m drive with frequent turns across 29.7 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
South Telegraph Road is the longest continuous segment at about 15.2 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Downhill Lane.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 29.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Downhill Lane): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 14 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | Downhill Lane

At end of road, turn right onto Downhill Lane

Navigation decision point

6
2 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the ramp toward M 59 West: Pontiac

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward M 59 West: Pontiac
7
5.5 mi into trip | ~9m in

Take the exit toward I 75 South: Detroit

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 40A Toward I 75 South: Detroit
7
7.4 mi into trip | ~11m in | BL I 75

Take the exit onto BL I 75 toward I 75 Business

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 75 Toward I 75 Business
7
10.9 mi into trip | ~16m in | US 24 / South Telegraph Road

Turn sharp left onto US 24 / South Telegraph Road

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Rochester Hills, MI to Dearborn Heights, MI, road signs begin pointing toward M 59 West: Pontiac along the way.

M 59 West: Pontiac

2 mi in | ~4m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
South Telegraph Road 15.2 mi 24m
Telegraph Road 3.7 mi 6m
M 59 3 mi 3m
I 75 1.6 mi 1m
I 75 BL 1.5 mi 2m
West Square Lake Road 1.3 mi 2m
West Hamlin Road 1 mi 2m
BL I 75 0.6 mi <1m
Longest stretch: South Telegraph Road — 15.2 mi, about 24m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rochester Hills, MI and Dearborn Heights, MI.

1

Start on Dickson Lane

0.2 mi · 53 sec · Dickson Lane
2

At end of road, turn right onto Downhill Lane

378 ft · 18 sec · Downhill Lane
3

Turn right onto Dressler Lane

196 ft · 14 sec · Dressler Lane
4

Turn left onto South Livernois Road

0.3 mi · 27 sec · South Livernois Road
5

Enter roundabout onto West Hamlin Road

17 ft · 0 sec · West Hamlin Road
6

Continue on West Hamlin Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · West Hamlin Road
7

Turn left onto Crooks Road

0.4 mi · 37 sec · Crooks Road
8

Take the ramp

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward M 59 West: Pontiac Use the right lane.
9

Merge onto M 59

3.0 mi · 3 min · M 59
10

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 49 sec
Exit 40A Toward I 75 South: Detroit Use the right lane.
11

Merge onto I 75

1.6 mi · 1 min · I 75
12

Take the exit onto BL I 75

0.6 mi · 41 sec · BL I 75
Exit 75 Toward I 75 Business Use the slight right lane.
13

Continue on I 75 BL

1.5 mi · 2 min · I 75 BL
14

Continue on US 24 BUS

1.3 mi · 2 min · West Square Lake Road
Use the straight lane.
15

Merge onto US 24

0.1 mi · 10 sec · South Telegraph Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
16

Take the exit

138 ft · 13 sec
17

Turn sharp left onto US 24

15 mi · 24 min · South Telegraph Road
Use the left lane.
18

Keep slight left at fork onto US 24

3.7 mi · 6 min · Telegraph Road
19

Turn slight left

15 ft · 0 sec
20

Arrive at destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.64 one way

$9.29 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $5.10 $10.20
premium $4.89 $5.72 $11.43
diesel $5.61 $6.56 $13.11

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 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 8.9 0 $3.12 $1.43
Efficient EV 7.4 0 $2.60 $1.19
EV Truck/SUV 11.9 0 $4.16 $1.90

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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Rochester Hills, MI

Evening in Rochester Hills on Friday

Local time

7:51 PM

EDT

Current temp

47°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Dearborn Heights, MI

Evening in Dearborn Heights on Friday

Local time

7:51 PM

EDT

Current temp

53°F

Widespread Fog

NNE 2 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Dense Fog Advisory

Dense Fog Advisory issued April 17 at 2:51AM EDT until April 17 at 10:00AM EDT by NWS Gaylord MI

Dense Fog Advisory

Dense Fog Advisory issued April 17 at 2:46AM EDT until April 17 at 10:00AM EDT by NWS Detroit/Pontiac MI

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 warmer at arrival

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

Road read

47m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Rochester Hills, MI to Dearborn Heights, MI covers 29.7 miles and takes about 47m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are South Telegraph Road, Telegraph Road, M 59. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 14.9 miles from Rochester Hills, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.64 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 short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 29.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Downhill Lane): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

On the drive from Rochester Hills, MI to Dearborn Heights, MI, road signs begin pointing toward M 59 West: Pontiac along the way.

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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