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Trip from Farmington Hills, MI to Lake Orion, MI

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

44m

Distance

28.9 mi

47 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 41m ★
6 AM
0h 44m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 47m
5 PM
0h 51m
8 PM
0h 42m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States

Farmington Hills, MI

Wikimedia Commons

village in Michigan, United States

Lake Orion, MI

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Farmington Hills to Lake Orion is 28.9 miles and takes about 44 minutes via Telegraph Road, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Michigan's Midwest region, offering a straightforward drive. It's a local route, meaning you'll encounter more turns and traffic lights than a highway cruise. Consider this drive for a quick errand or to connect between two nearby Michigan communities.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Telegraph Road 7.3 mi 11m
South Lapeer Road 6.3 mi 9m
Walter P. Chrysler Freeway 4.9 mi 5m
West 12 Mile Road 4.7 mi 8m
East Square Lake Road 1.6 mi 2m
West Square Lake Road 1.2 mi 1m
Farmington Road 0.9 mi 1m
BL I 75 0.8 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Telegraph Road — 7.3 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Farmington Hills, MI and Lake Orion, MI.

1

Start on Farmington Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · Farmington Road
2

Turn right onto West 12 Mile Road

4.7 mi · 8 min · West 12 Mile Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
3

Turn right onto US 24

0.1 mi · 11 sec · Telegraph Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
4

Take the exit

129 ft · 12 sec
Use the left lane.
5

Turn sharp left onto US 24

7.2 mi · 11 min · Telegraph Road
Use the right lane.
6

Keep slight right at fork onto US 24 BUS

450 ft · 11 sec · Franklin Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Turn right onto US 24 BUS

1.2 mi · 1 min · West Square Lake Road
Use the right lane.
8

Continue on I 75 BL; US 24 BUS

1.6 mi · 2 min · East Square Lake Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
9

Keep slight left at fork onto BL I 75

0.8 mi · 1 min · BL I 75
Toward I 75 North: Flint Use the slight left lane.
10

Merge onto I 75

4.9 mi · 5 min · Walter P. Chrysler Freeway
11

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 24 sec
Exit 81 Toward M 24: Lapeer Use the slight right lane.
12

Continue on I 75 BL

0.2 mi · 27 sec · I 75 BL
13

Keep slight left at fork

0.4 mi · 58 sec
Toward M 24 North: Lapeer
14

Turn straight onto M 24

6.3 mi · 9 min · South Lapeer Road
Use the right lane.
15

Turn right onto South Broadway Street

0.2 mi · 25 sec · South Broadway Street
16

Arrive at destination

South Broadway Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 21.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.9 mi into trip | ~1m in | West 12 Mile Road

Turn right onto West 12 Mile Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
7
5.8 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the exit

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

Use the left lane.
7
5.8 mi into trip | ~10m in | US 24 / Telegraph Road

Turn sharp left onto US 24 / Telegraph Road

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

Use the right lane.
7
15.9 mi into trip | ~26m in | BL I 75

Keep slight left at fork onto BL I 75 toward I 75 North: Flint

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward I 75 North: Flint
7
21.6 mi into trip | ~32m in

Take the exit toward M 24: Lapeer

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 81 Toward M 24: Lapeer

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.52 one way

$9.04 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $4.96 $9.92
premium $4.89 $5.56 $11.12
diesel $5.61 $6.38 $12.76

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 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 8.7 0 $3.03 $1.39
Efficient EV 7.2 0 $2.53 $1.16
EV Truck/SUV 11.6 0 $4.05 $1.85

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

Farmington Hills, MI

Late night in Farmington Hills on Tuesday

Local time

5:17 AM

EDT

Current temp

68°F

Partly Sunny

SSE 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 17 at 1:39PM EDT until April 20 at 5:00PM EDT by NWS Marquette MI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 17 at 12:39PM CDT until April 22 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Marquette MI

Destination

Lake Orion, MI

Late night in Lake Orion on Tuesday

Local time

5:17 AM

EDT

Current temp

44°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

24 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

44m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 28.9-mile journey. With only a 21% highway share, you'll navigate through local roads for most of the trip. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 7.3 miles on Telegraph Road, after which you'll likely encounter more intersections and varying speed limits. This route isn't about long, open stretches of highway but rather a connected series of local streets and some freeway segments, including Walter P. Chrysler Freeway.

Only 21% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.3 mi on Telegraph Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 0.9 miles in near West 12 Mile Road.

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 12 decision points packed into just 28.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles (West 12 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles (US 24 / Telegraph Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Farmington Hills, MI and Lake Orion, MI, road signs point toward M 24: Lapeer and M 24 North: Lapeer.

M 24: Lapeer

21.6 mi in | ~32m

M 24 North: Lapeer

22 mi in | ~33m

About the Cities

Starting in Farmington Hills, MI

Full guide →

Farmington Hills is a city in Oakland County in Michigan. It almost completely surrounds the smaller city of Farmington.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 28.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

44m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.3 miles on Telegraph Road. 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 Lake Orion, 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: at 0.9 miles (West 12 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles (US 24 / Telegraph Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lake Orion, MI before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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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