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Trip from Gaastra, MI to Tobin Location, MI

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Oct 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

23m

Distance

15.5 mi

25 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 22m ★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 23m

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

Best Time
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Downtown Gaastra, MI, MI

Gaastra, MI

vilnis Izotovs

Downtown Tobin Location, MI, MI

Tobin Location, MI

fish socks

Trip Overview

This short, 15.5-mile journey from Gaastra to Tobin Location in Michigan is easily manageable as a day trip, taking approximately 23 minutes to complete. Your drive will primarily follow East Lake Emily Road, Bates-Gaastra Road, and Tobin-Alpha Road, with no highway driving involved. With an estimated fuel cost of just $2, this is a budget-friendly excursion. The route is characterized by frequent turns, suggesting a more engaging, local driving experience rather than a simple point-to-point cruise. This quick trip is perfect for adding to a larger itinerary in the Midwest region.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
East Lake Emily Road 11.3 mi 12m
Bates-Gaastra Road 3.5 mi 8m
Tobin-Alpha Road 0.4 mi 1m
2nd Street 0.2 mi <1m
Main Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: East Lake Emily Road — 11.3 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Gaastra, MI and Tobin Location, MI.

1

Start on Main Avenue

0.2 mi · 25 sec · Main Avenue
2

Turn left onto 2nd Street

0.2 mi · 33 sec · 2nd Street
3

Continue on Bates-Gaastra Road

1.8 mi · 4 min · Bates-Gaastra Road
4

At end of road, turn right onto Bates-Gaastra Road

1.7 mi · 4 min · Bates-Gaastra Road
5

Turn right onto US 2

11 mi · 12 min · East Lake Emily Road
6

Turn right onto Tobin-Alpha Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · Tobin-Alpha Road
Use the right lane.
7

Arrive at destination

Tobin-Alpha Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

4 of 4

4 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 15.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | 2nd Street

Turn left onto 2nd Street

Navigation decision point

5
2.2 mi into trip | ~5m in | Bates-Gaastra Road

At end of road, turn right onto Bates-Gaastra Road

Navigation decision point

3
3.9 mi into trip | ~9m in | US 2 / East Lake Emily Road

Turn right onto US 2 / East Lake Emily Road

Navigation decision point

6
15.2 mi into trip | ~22m in | Tobin-Alpha Road

Turn right onto Tobin-Alpha Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.59 one way

$5.17 round trip

$4.24/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $2.81 $5.62
premium $5.26 $3.21 $6.42
diesel $6.18 $3.77 $7.54

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-10-12.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.7 0 $1.63 $0.74
Efficient EV 3.9 0 $1.36 $0.62
EV Truck/SUV 6.2 0 $2.17 $0.99

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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 Oct 11, 2026

Origin

Gaastra, MI

Afternoon in Gaastra on Saturday

Local time

1:25 PM

CDT

Current temp

57°F

Clear

S 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Special Weather Statement

Special Weather Statement issued October 10 at 5:47PM EDT by NWS Marquette MI

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued October 10 at 3:57PM EDT until October 11 at 6:00PM EDT by NWS Marquette MI

Destination

Tobin Location, MI

Afternoon in Tobin Location on Saturday

Local time

1:25 PM

CDT

Current temp

45°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

12 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

23m 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 on this route, meaning you'll be navigating a series of smaller roads rather than a continuous highway. With 0% highway share, you'll be fully immersed in the local landscape. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.3 miles along East Lake Emily Road, offering a brief period of consistent travel before more turns appear. This profile suggests a drive that requires attention to navigation but offers a closer look at the surrounding area as you make your way from Gaastra to Tobin Location.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.3 mi on East Lake Emily Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near 2nd Street.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 23m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (2nd Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (Bates-Gaastra Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.9 miles (US 2 / East Lake Emily Road): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,715 ft 1,372 ft

Total Climb

648 ft

Total Descent

703 ft

Highest Point

1,715 ft

~5.6 mi in

Elevation Range

343 ft

Detours Along the Way

Tagged by where each one fits in your drive — first break, midpoint, final stretch.

Contrast Coffee

Cafe

Near the start, short detour

3min in 2 mi from route ~5 min detour

Iron River, MI

Hours: Mo-Sa 07:00-17:00, Su 07:00-14:00

Visit website

Riverside Pizzaria

Restaurant

Near the start, short detour

3min in 1.8 mi from route ~4 min detour

Iron River, MI

Cuisine: pizza

Hours: Su-Th 16:00-20:30; Fr-Sa 16:00-21:00

Visit website

KFC

Fast_food

Near the start, short detour

3min in 2 mi from route ~5 min detour

Iron River, MI

Cuisine: chicken

Alice's Supper Club

Restaurant

Near the start, short detour

3min in 2.2 mi from route ~5 min detour

Iron River, MI

Cuisine: italian

The Depot Restaurant & Bakery

Restaurant

Near the start, short detour

3min in 2 mi from route ~5 min detour

Paint River Hills Campground

Camp_site

Near the end, short detour

24min in 1.3 mi from route ~3 min detour

MI

Visit website

Iron County Historical Museum

Museum

Near the start, short detour

1.2 mi from route ~3 min detour

Caspian, MI

Hours: May-Oct Mo-Fr 09:00-15:00; Jun-Aug Sa 10...

Visit website

Hoover Park Memorial

Memorial

Near the start, short detour

3min in 1.5 mi from route ~4 min detour

Iron River, MI

Paint River Hills Campground

Camp_site

Near the end, short detour

24min in 1.3 mi from route ~3 min detour

MI

Visit website

Points of interest from OpenStreetMap contributors. Listings may not reflect current hours or availability.

About the Cities

Starting in Gaastra, MI

Full guide →

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 23m. Total distance: 15.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

23m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 11.3 miles on East Lake Emily Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 0.2 miles (2nd Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (Bates-Gaastra Road): Navigation decision point; at 3.9 miles (US 2 / East Lake Emily Road): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Tobin Location, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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