Origin
Southgate, MI
Late night in Southgate on Friday
Local time
4:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Southgate, MI to Dearborn, 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
8.6 mi
14 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great 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.
Southgate, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Dearborn, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 8.6-mile drive from Southgate, MI to Dearborn, MI is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 15 minutes to complete. You'll navigate primarily via Fisher Freeway and Schaefer Road/Schaefer Highway South, with about 31% of the journey on highways. With a minimal fuel cost estimated at just $1, this route is very budget-friendly. The drive offers a mixed experience, suitable for a quick local excursion within the Midwest region. It's a straightforward trip, perfect for a brief journey without the need for an overnight stay.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 8.6 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 (31%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile.
Drive Character
The character of this 8.6-mile drive is a blend of freeway and local road driving. With 31% of the route on highways, you'll experience some faster-paced travel, including a longest stretch of 2.7 miles on Fisher Freeway. As you transition from Fisher Freeway, you'll likely encounter Schaefer Road and then Schaefer Highway South, which will guide you through more localized areas. This mixed profile means you'll get a feel for both efficient highway travel and the more immediate surroundings of the communities you pass through.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Fisher Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 2.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 5 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.9 miles in.
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 8.6 miles you will encounter 5 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 1.9 miles: Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (I 75 / Fisher Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
1.9 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 75 North: Detroit
Navigation decision point
Toward I 75 North: Detroit
5
2.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 75 / Fisher Freeway
Merge onto I 75 / Fisher Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
4.9 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the exit toward M 85: Fort Street, Schaefer Highway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 43
Toward M 85: Fort Street, Schaefer Highway
8
5.1 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Schaefer Highway North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Toward Schaefer Highway North
6
8.6 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
US 12 / Michigan Avenue
Turn left onto US 12 / Michigan Avenue
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.
Between Southgate, MI and Dearborn, MI, road signs point toward Schaefer Highway and Schaefer Highway North.
Schaefer Highway
4.9 mi in
|
~7m
Schaefer Highway North
5.1 mi in
|
~7m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Fisher Freeway | 2.7 mi | 2m |
| Schaefer Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Schaefer Highway South | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Dix Highway | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Dix-Toledo Highway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Michigan Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Fisher Freeway
— 2.7 mi, about 2m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Southgate, MI and Dearborn, MI.
1
Start on Dix-Toledo Highway
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
Dix-Toledo Highway
2
Continue on Dix Highway
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Dix Highway
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 75 North: Detroit
4
Merge onto I 75
2.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Fisher Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 43
Toward M 85: Fort Street, Schaefer Highway
Use the slight right lane.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
Toward Schaefer Highway North
Use the straight / left lanes.
7
Turn slight left onto Schaefer Highway South
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Schaefer Highway South
8
Continue on Schaefer Road
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Schaefer Road
9
Turn left onto US 12
79 ft
·
1 sec
·
Michigan Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
US 12
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.34 one way
$2.69 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.48 | $2.95 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.65 | $3.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.90 | $3.80 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 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 | 2.6 | 0 | $0.90 | $0.41 |
| Efficient EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.75 | $0.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.20 | $0.55 |
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
Dearborn, MI
Late night in Dearborn on Friday
Local time
4:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
7 degrees cooler 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 Southgate, MI to Dearborn, MI covers 8.6 miles and takes about 15m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Fisher Freeway, Schaefer Road, Schaefer Highway South. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.3 miles from Southgate, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.34 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 8.6 miles you will encounter 5 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 1.9 miles: Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (I 75 / Fisher Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Southgate, MI and Dearborn, MI, road signs point toward Schaefer Highway and Schaefer Highway North.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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