Origin
Waterford, MI
Morning in Waterford on Saturday
Local time
9:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waterford, MI to Royal Oak, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
21.9 mi
35 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Waterford, MI
Adrien Olichon
Royal Oak, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Waterford, MI to Royal Oak, MI covers 21.9 miles and takes about 39m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Woodward Avenue, Highland Road, South Telegraph Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9.7 miles on Woodward Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.42 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 21.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m 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 39m drive with frequent turns across 21.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Woodward Avenue is the longest continuous segment at about 9.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Williams Lake 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 21.9 miles you will encounter 12 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 0.3 miles (Williams Lake Road): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (Airport Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Williams Lake Road
At end of road, turn left onto Williams Lake Road
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Airport Road
Turn right onto Airport Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
9.9 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
10 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
West Square Lake Road
Turn left onto West Square Lake Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
21.1 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
West 11 Mile Road
Turn sharp right onto West 11 Mile Road
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Woodward Avenue | 9.7 mi | 16m |
| Highland Road | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| South Telegraph Road | 2.6 mi | 4m |
| Airport Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| West Square Lake Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Voorheis Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Huron Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West 11 Mile Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Woodward Avenue
— 9.7 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waterford, MI and Royal Oak, MI.
1
Start on David K Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
David K Drive
2
At end of road, turn left onto Williams Lake Road
245 ft
·
8 sec
·
Williams Lake Road
3
Turn right onto Airport Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Airport Road
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto M 59
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
Highland Road
5
Continue on M 59
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Huron Street
6
Turn right onto Voorheis Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Voorheis Street
Use the right lane.
7
Turn right onto US 24
2.6 mi
·
4 min
·
South Telegraph Road
8
Take the exit
380 ft
·
17 sec
Use the right lane.
9
Turn left onto West Square Lake Road
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
West Square Lake Road
Use the left lane.
10
Turn right onto M 1
9.6 mi
·
16 min
·
Woodward Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
11
Continue on M 1
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Woodward Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Turn sharp right onto West 11 Mile Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West 11 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
13
Continue on West 11 Mile Road
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
West 11 Mile Road
14
Turn right onto South Center Street
302 ft
·
19 sec
·
South Center Street
15
Turn left onto West 2nd Street
172 ft
·
13 sec
·
West 2nd Street
16
Turn left
185 ft
·
13 sec
17
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.42 one way
$6.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.76 | $7.52 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.21 | $8.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.84 | $9.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.30 | $1.05 |
| Efficient EV | 5.5 | 0 | $1.92 | $0.88 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.07 | $1.40 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Royal Oak, MI
Morning in Royal Oak on Saturday
Local time
9:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°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
39m 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 Waterford, MI to Royal Oak, MI covers 21.9 miles and takes about 39m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Woodward Avenue, Highland Road, South Telegraph Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.9 miles from Waterford, MI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.42 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 21.9 miles you will encounter 12 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 0.3 miles (Williams Lake Road): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (Airport Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Waterford, MI to Royal Oak, 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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