Origin
Royal Oak, MI
Afternoon in Royal Oak on Saturday
Local time
1:22 PM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Royal Oak, MI to Farmington, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
24m
Distance
16.2 mi
26 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Royal Oak, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Farmington, MI
Sarah-Claude Lévesque St-Louis
Trip Overview
Royal Oak to Farmington is 16.2 miles and takes about 24 minutes via Walter P Reuther Freeway and Orchard Lake Road, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward trip within Michigan's Midwest region, focusing primarily on highway driving. You'll spend most of your time on well-maintained freeways and main roads, making it an easy commute or quick errand run. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a single-day excursion with minimal planning required.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Walter P Reuther Freeway | 10.7 mi | 11m |
| Orchard Lake Road | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| South Main Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| West 10 Mile Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Shiawassee Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Randall Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Farmington Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West 11 Mile Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Walter P Reuther Freeway
— 10.7 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Royal Oak, MI and Farmington, MI.
1
Start on this road
124 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
173 ft
·
8 sec
·
West 11 Mile Road
3
Turn right onto South Main Street
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Main Street
4
Turn right onto West 10 Mile Road
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
West 10 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Toward I 696 West
6
Merge onto I 696
11 mi
·
11 min
·
Walter P Reuther Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 5
Toward Farmington Hills, Park&Ride
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn left onto Orchard Lake Road
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Orchard Lake Road
Use the left lane.
9
Turn right onto West 10 Mile Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West 10 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
10
Turn left onto Randall Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Randall Street
11
Turn right onto Shiawassee Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Shiawassee Road
12
Turn left onto Farmington Road
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
Farmington Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Arrive at destination
Farmington Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 16 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West 11 Mile Road
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
Navigation decision point
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway
Merge onto I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
12.4 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward Farmington Hills, Park&Ride
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 5
Toward Farmington Hills, Park&Ride
6
12.8 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
Orchard Lake Road
Turn left onto Orchard Lake Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
16 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
Farmington Road
Turn left onto Farmington Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.53 one way
$5.07 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.78 | $5.56 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.12 | $6.24 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.58 | $7.15 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.70 | $0.78 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.42 | $0.65 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.27 | $1.04 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Farmington, MI
Afternoon in Farmington on Saturday
Local time
1:22 PM
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
24m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
This is a highway-focused drive, with 66% of the route utilizing major roadways. You'll experience a significant stretch of 10.7 miles on the Walter P Reuther Freeway, offering a consistent, higher-speed experience. As you transition to Orchard Lake Road and then South Main Street, the character may shift to a more surface-street feel, common for final approaches within a metropolitan area. Expect a smooth, efficient journey for the majority of the trip, designed for direct travel.
66% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.7 mi on Walter P Reuther Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Walter P Reuther Freeway and Orchard Lake Road. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West 11 Mile Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 16.2 miles you will encounter 11 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: near the start (West 11 Mile Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles (I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Royal Oak, MI and Farmington, MI, road signs point toward Farmington Hills and Park&Ride.
Farmington Hills
12.4 mi in
|
~16m
Park&Ride
12.4 mi in
|
~16m
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 24m. Total distance: 16.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (66%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.7 miles on Walter P Reuther Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Farmington, MI before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 11 Mile Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles (I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Farmington, MI before heading back.
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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