Origin
Royal Oak, MI
Late night in Royal Oak on Tuesday
Local time
5:03 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Royal Oak, MI to Clinton Township, MI
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
18.7 mi
30 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Royal Oak, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Clinton Township, MI
fish socks
Trip Overview
Royal Oak, MI to Clinton Township, MI is 18.7 miles and takes about 29 minutes via Groesbeck Highway and Walter P Reuther Freeway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Michigan, connecting two points in the Midwest region. It's a straightforward drive, primarily on main roads, making it ideal for a quick errand or a brief transition between locations. You can expect a mixed driving experience, so plan for a relatively easy journey with minimal planning required.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Groesbeck Highway | 7.4 mi | 12m |
| Walter P Reuther Freeway | 6.8 mi | 7m |
| West 11 Mile Road | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| I-75 South to I-696 East | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Harrington Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East 11 Mile Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| White Oaks Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Groesbeck Highway
— 7.4 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Royal Oak, MI and Clinton Township, MI.
1
Start on this road
124 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
West 11 Mile Road
3
Turn right onto South Stephenson Highway
396 ft
·
9 sec
·
South Stephenson Highway
Use the right lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 75 South
5
Merge onto I 75
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
South Walter P. Chrysler Freeway
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 61
Toward I 696: Port Huron, Lansing
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I-75 South to I-696 East
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
I-75 South to I-696 East
Toward I 696 East: Port Huron
Use the slight left lane.
8
Continue on I 696
6.8 mi
·
7 min
·
Walter P Reuther Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 26
Toward M 97: Groesbeck Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn straight onto East 11 Mile Road
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
East 11 Mile Road
11
Turn left onto M 97
7.4 mi
·
12 min
·
Groesbeck Highway
Use the left / straight lanes.
12
Turn left onto Harrington Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Harrington Street
Use the left lane.
13
At end of road, turn left onto Moravian Drive
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Moravian Drive
Use the left lane.
14
Turn right onto White Oaks Drive
0.2 mi
·
52 sec
·
White Oaks Drive
15
Turn right onto Red Oaks Drive
289 ft
·
12 sec
·
Red Oaks Drive
16
Arrive at destination
Red Oaks Drive
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 18.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
South Stephenson Highway
Turn right onto South Stephenson Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
9
2.1 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit toward I 696: Port Huron, Lansing
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 61
Toward I 696: Port Huron, Lansing
7
2.3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I-75 South to I-696 East
Keep slight left at fork onto I-75 South to I-696 East toward I 696 East: Port Huron
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 696 East: Port Huron
7
9.6 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward M 97: Groesbeck Highway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 26
Toward M 97: Groesbeck Highway
6
18.3 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
Moravian Drive
At end of road, turn left onto Moravian Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.92 one way
$5.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.21 | $6.42 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.60 | $7.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.13 | $8.26 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.96 | $0.90 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.64 | $0.75 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.62 | $1.20 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Clinton Township, MI
Late night in Clinton Township on Tuesday
Local time
5:03 AM
EDT
Current temp
65°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
1 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
29m 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?
This route offers a mixed drive, with about 40% of it being on highways. You'll encounter stretches like the 7.4-mile segment on Groesbeck Highway, which provides a good sense of the road's character. The journey involves a blend of freeway travel and potentially some surface street navigation as you approach your destination. The driving experience is not a monotonous interstate grind, nor is it a purely scenic byway; rather, it's a practical commute connecting two points efficiently.
40% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.4 mi on Groesbeck Highway.
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 around 1.5 miles in near South Stephenson Highway.
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 18.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles (South Stephenson Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.3 miles (I-75 South to I-696 East): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Royal Oak, MI and Clinton Township, MI, road signs point toward Lansing and M 97: Groesbeck Highway.
Lansing
2.1 mi in
|
~4m
M 97: Groesbeck Highway
9.6 mi in
|
~13m
About the Cities
Starting in Royal Oak, MI
Full guide →Royal Oak is a suburb of Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan known for its trendy downtown shopping area and bars. 1 mile South of Royal Oak is Ferndale, a place very similar to Royal Oak, known for its large lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender population. North of Royal Oak is Birmingham, an opulent area known for its upscale boutiques.
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 29m. Total distance: 18.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (40%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.4 miles on Groesbeck Highway. 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 Clinton Township, 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 1.5 miles (South Stephenson Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.3 miles (I-75 South to I-696 East): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Clinton Township, 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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