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Trip from Racine, WI to Okauchee Lake, WI

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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

1h 21m

Distance

56.9 mi

92 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 19 min
4 AM
1h 15m ★
6 AM
1h 21m
8 AM
1h 34m
10 AM
1h 26m
12 PM
1h 25m
3 PM
1h 26m
5 PM
1h 33m
8 PM
1h 18m

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

city in and county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States

Racine, WI

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Okauchee Lake, WI, WI

Okauchee Lake, WI

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

Racine, WI to Okauchee Lake, WI is 56.9 miles and takes about 1h 21m via WI 16 and East-West Freeway, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This route stays within the Midwest and Wisconsin for its entirety, making it a straightforward trip with minimal logistical planning. Given the relatively short distance and duration, it's well-suited for a single-day excursion, allowing you plenty of time to reach your destination and settle in. You'll primarily be on highway, so expect a consistent pace for most of the drive.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
WI 16 12.5 mi 14m
East-West Freeway 10.2 mi 11m
Douglas Avenue 8.3 mi 13m
I 41 5.9 mi 8m
Airport Freeway 4.6 mi 6m
North-South Freeway 4.5 mi 5m
West Ryan Road 4 mi 6m
South Chicago Road 1.8 mi 3m
Longest stretch: WI 16 — 12.5 mi, about 14m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Racine, WI and Okauchee Lake, WI.

1

Start on WI 20; WI 32

69 ft · 10 sec · 7th Street
2

Turn left onto WI 32

0.7 mi · 1 min · Main Street
3

Turn left onto WI 32

0.2 mi · 19 sec · Hamilton Street
4

Turn right onto WI 32

8.3 mi · 13 min · Douglas Avenue
Use the straight lane.
5

Continue on WI 32

1.8 mi · 3 min · South Chicago Road
6

Turn straight

0.1 mi · 22 sec
7

Turn left onto WI 100

4.0 mi · 6 min · West Ryan Road
8

Take the ramp

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward I 41 North, I 94 West: Milwaukee
9

Merge onto I 41; I 94; US 41

4.5 mi · 5 min · North-South Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight right at fork onto I 41; I 94; US 41

0.6 mi · 49 sec · I 41; I 94; US 41
Exit 317 Toward I 41 North, I 43 South, I 894 Bypass: Madison, Fond du Lac Use the slight right lane.
11

Continue on I 41; US 41

1.1 mi · 1 min · I 41; US 41
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Merge onto I 41; I 43; I 894; US 41

4.6 mi · 6 min · Airport Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight right at fork onto I 41; I 894; US 41

4.2 mi · 5 min · I 41; I 894; US 41
Toward I 41 North, I 894 North, US 41 North, US 45 North: Fond du Lac Use the slight right lane.
14

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 16 sec
Exit 1B-A Toward I 94 West, I 94 East: Madison, Milwaukee Use the slight right lane.
15

Keep slight left at fork

0.6 mi · 56 sec
Exit 1B Toward I 94 West: Madison Use the slight left lane.
16

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 11 sec
Toward I 94 West: Madison
17

Merge onto I 94

10 mi · 11 min · East-West Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
18

Keep slight right at fork onto WI 16

13 mi · 14 min · WI 16
Exit 293C Toward WIS 16 West: Pewaukee Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 41 sec
Exit 178 Toward CTH P South: Sawyer Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Keep slight right at fork

121 ft · 3 sec
Toward CTH R: Okauchee Use the left / right lanes.
21

Turn right onto CTH R

106 ft · 10 sec · North Sawyer Road
22

Turn left onto East Wisconsin Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · East Wisconsin Avenue
23

Continue on West Lake Drive

0.5 mi · 1 min · West Lake Drive
24

Continue on Lake Drive

1.2 mi · 2 min · Lake Drive
25

Continue on Westview Road

0.2 mi · 31 sec · Westview Road
26

Turn left onto Pondview Lane

482 ft · 21 sec · Pondview Lane
27

Arrive at destination

Pondview Lane

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Greendale, WI

28 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

South Milwaukee, WI

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

West Allis, WI

Meal break

The midpoint is around 28.5 miles from Racine, WI, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 20 and 41.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

9
20 mi into trip | ~32m in | I 41; I 94; US 41

Keep slight right at fork onto I 41; I 94; US 41 toward I 41 North, I 43 South, I 894 Bypass: Madison, Fond du Lac

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 317 Toward I 41 North, I 43 South, I 894 Bypass: Ma...
8
26.3 mi into trip | ~40m in | I 41; I 894; US 41

Keep slight right at fork onto I 41; I 894; US 41 toward I 41 North, I 894 North, US 41 North, US 45 North: Fond du Lac

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 41 North, I 894 North, US 41 North, US...
8
30.5 mi into trip | ~46m in

Take the exit toward I 94 West, I 94 East: Madison, Milwaukee

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 1B-A Toward I 94 West, I 94 East: Madison, Milwaukee
8
30.6 mi into trip | ~46m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 94 West: Madison

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Exit 1B Toward I 94 West: Madison
8
41.6 mi into trip | ~59m in | WI 16

Keep slight right at fork onto WI 16 toward WIS 16 West: Pewaukee

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 293C Toward WIS 16 West: Pewaukee

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.90 one way

$17.79 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 20 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $9.77 $19.53
premium $4.89 $10.95 $21.90
diesel $5.61 $12.56 $25.13

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 19.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 17.1 0 $5.97 $2.73
Efficient EV 14.2 0 $4.98 $2.28
EV Truck/SUV 22.8 0 $7.97 $3.64

Gas CO2

20 kg

EV CO2

7 kg (65% 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 20, 2026

Origin

Racine, WI

Late night in Racine on Tuesday

Local time

5:37 AM

CDT

Current temp

56°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Okauchee Lake, WI

Late night in Okauchee Lake on Tuesday

Local time

5:37 AM

CDT

Current temp

60°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

4 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

1h 21m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

You'll spend about 66% of this 56.9-mile trip on the highway. The longest continuous stretch on a single road is 12.5 miles on WI 16. After leaving the highway, you'll transition to surface roads, likely noticing a change in traffic patterns and speed limits. Expect a steady cruise for the majority of the drive, with the latter portion involving more local traffic.

66% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
27 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.5 mi on WI 16.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on WI 16 and East-West Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 20 miles in near I 41; I 94; US 41.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 56.9 miles you will encounter 19 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 20 miles (I 41; I 94; US 41): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26.3 miles (I 41; I 894; US 41): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Racine, WI and Okauchee Lake, WI, road signs point toward Fond Du Lac, Milwaukee and Wis 16 West: Pewaukee.

Fond Du Lac

20 mi in | ~32m | via I 41; I 94; US 41

Milwaukee

30.5 mi in | ~46m

Wis 16 West: Pewaukee

41.6 mi in | ~59m | via WI 16

About the Cities

Starting in Racine, WI

Full guide →

Racine is a city of 77,000 people (2019) in Southeast Wisconsin along Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. It is the county seat of Racine County.

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 1h 21m. Total distance: 56.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 21m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (66%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 12.5 miles on WI 16. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Okauchee Lake, WI 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 20 miles (I 41; I 94; US 41): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26.3 miles (I 41; I 894; US 41): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30.5 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 Okauchee Lake, WI 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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