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Trip from Gary, IN to Porter, IN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

25m

Distance

17.3 mi

28 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great 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 24m ★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m ★

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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city in Lake County, State of Indiana, United States

Gary, IN

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Porter, IN, IN

Porter, IN

David Brtan

Trip Overview

Gary, IN to Porter, IN is 17.3 miles and takes about 25m via I 94/Indiana Toll Road/US 20, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Midwest and connects two points in Indiana. Expect a mixed highway and surface road experience, making it suitable for a quick trip without needing an overnight stay. It's a straightforward transit that gets you from point A to point B efficiently.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 94 6.5 mi 7m
Indiana Toll Road 5.4 mi 5m
US 20 1 mi 1m
West Beam Street 0.8 mi 2m
West 5th Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
Harrison Street 0.5 mi 1m
Broadway 0.2 mi <1m
Wagner Road 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 94 — 6.5 mi, about 7m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Gary, IN and Porter, IN.

1

Start on 10th Place

254 ft · 15 sec · 10th Place
2

Turn right onto Harrison Boulevard

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Harrison Boulevard
3

Continue on Harrison Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · Harrison Street
4

Turn right onto US 12; US 20

0.5 mi · 1 min · West 5th Avenue
5

Turn left onto SR 53

0.2 mi · 36 sec · Broadway
6

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 51 sec
Toward I 90 East
7

Merge onto I 90

5.4 mi · 5 min · Indiana Toll Road
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Exit 21 Toward I 94, US 6, SR 51: Detroit, Lake Station Use the slight right lane.
9

Continue on this road

0.1 mi · 15 sec · this road
10

Continue on this road

0.4 mi · 48 sec · this road
11

Keep slight left at fork

0.6 mi · 1 min
Toward I 94 East: Detroit Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Merge onto I 94

6.5 mi · 7 min · I 94
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 40 sec
Exit 22B Toward US 20 East: Porter Use the right lane.
14

Turn straight onto US 20

1.0 mi · 1 min · US 20
15

Turn right onto West Beam Street

0.8 mi · 2 min · West Beam Street
16

Turn right onto Wagner Road

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Wagner Road
17

Turn left onto Franklin Street

396 ft · 17 sec · Franklin Street
18

Arrive at destination

Franklin Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 14.9 — 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 | Harrison Boulevard

Turn right onto Harrison Boulevard

Navigation decision point

5
1.4 mi into trip | ~3m in

Take the ramp toward I 90 East

Navigation decision point

Toward I 90 East
8
7.2 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the exit toward I 94, US 6, SR 51: Detroit, Lake Station

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 21 Toward I 94, US 6, SR 51: Detroit, Lake Station
7
7.8 mi into trip | ~11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 94 East: Detroit

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 94 East: Detroit
7
14.9 mi into trip | ~19m in

Take the exit toward US 20 East: Porter

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

Use the right lane. Exit 22B Toward US 20 East: Porter

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.68 one way

$5.36 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $2.94 $5.88
premium $4.93 $3.36 $6.71
diesel $5.60 $3.81 $7.63

Estimated Tolls: $0.38

Indiana Toll Road (5.4 mi) $0.38

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Tolls

$0

Total

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.2 0 $1.82 $0.83
Efficient EV 4.3 0 $1.51 $0.69
EV Truck/SUV 6.9 0 $2.42 $1.11

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.

Forecast as of Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Gary, IN

Morning in Gary on Saturday

Local time

7:46 AM

CDT

Current temp

74°F

Mostly Clear

SW 5 mph 6% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:38PM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:26PM EDT until September 2 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Northern Indiana

Destination

Porter, IN

Morning in Porter on Saturday

Local time

7:46 AM

CDT

Current temp

74°F

Mostly Clear

SSW 5 mph 3% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:38PM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:26PM EDT until September 2 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Northern Indiana

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

25m 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?

This route features a 44% highway share, meaning you'll spend a good portion of the 25-minute drive on major roads. The longest continuous stretch on a highway is 6.5 miles on I 94. You'll notice a transition from highway cruising to surface streets as you approach your destination. Expect frequent exits and entrances as you navigate this mixed-profile roadway.

44% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.5 mi on I 94.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Harrison Boulevard.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 17.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 25m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Harrison Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 7.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

655 ft 599 ft

Total Climb

96 ft

Total Descent

55 ft

Highest Point

655 ft

~14.8 mi in

Elevation Range

56 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

On the drive from Gary, IN to Porter, IN, road signs begin pointing toward Lake Station along the way.

Lake Station

7.2 mi in | ~10m

About the Cities

Starting in Gary, IN

Full guide →

Founded 1906

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is perhaps best known as the birthplace of the legendary pop star Michael Jackson. Founded in 1906 as a company town for U.S. Steel, it thrived in the 1950s and early 60s and earned the nickname "The Magic City". In 2007, it was described by writer Jessica Hopper as "the Pompeii of the Midwest, a city of ruins where life can seem to have just suddenly stopped".

Top landmarks

  • • Van Buren Terrace Historic District — historic district in Indiana, United States
  • • Gary City Center Historic District — historic district in Gary, Indiana
  • • Union Station — former railroad station in Gary, Indiana, United States

Arriving in Porter, IN

Full guide →

Porter is an old railroad town just south of the Indiana Dunes National Park in Northwestern Indiana.

Top landmarks

  • • Joseph Bailly Homestead — homestead in Indiana, USA
  • • Good Fellow Club Youth Camp

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 25m. Total distance: 17.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

25m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (44%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 6.5 miles on I 94. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.38 in tolls one way, starting with Indiana Toll Road. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 Porter, IN 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 (Harrison Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 7.2 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 Porter, IN 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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