Origin
Royal Oak, MI
Morning in Royal Oak on Tuesday
Local time
6:35 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Royal Oak, MI to Wixom, 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
30m
Distance
24 mi
39 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Royal Oak, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Wixom, MI
fish socks
Trip Overview
This quick 24-mile trip from Royal Oak, MI to Wixom, MI will take you about 30 minutes. Primarily a highway-focused drive, you'll spend most of your time on the Walter P Reuther Freeway and I-96, with Wixom Road being your final stretch. With a modest fuel cost of around $4, this is a perfect candidate for a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You'll be traveling within the Midwest region, staying within Michigan the entire time. This route is ideal for those seeking a straightforward and efficient journey between these two suburban Detroit communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Walter P Reuther Freeway | 16.1 mi | 17m |
| I 96 | 3.9 mi | 4m |
| Wixom Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| South Main Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| West 10 Mile Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West 11 Mile Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Wixom Road | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Walter P Reuther Freeway
— 16.1 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Royal Oak, MI and Wixom, MI.
1
Start on this road
124 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
173 ft
·
8 sec
·
West 11 Mile Road
3
Turn right onto South Main Street
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Main Street
4
Turn right onto West 10 Mile Road
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
West 10 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Toward I 696 West
6
Merge onto I 696
16 mi
·
17 min
·
Walter P Reuther Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 96
3.9 mi
·
4 min
·
I 96
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 159
Toward Wixom Road, Wixom, Walled Lake
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
515 ft
·
12 sec
Toward Wixom Road North, Wixom
Use the right lane.
10
Turn straight onto Wixom Road
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Wixom Road
11
Arrive at destination
North Wixom Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 22.1 — 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
|
West 11 Mile Road
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Main Street
Turn right onto South Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway
Merge onto I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
21.7 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward Wixom Road, Wixom, Walled Lake
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 159
Toward Wixom Road, Wixom, Walled Lake
8
22.1 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Wixom Road North, Wixom
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Toward Wixom Road North, Wixom
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.75 one way
$7.50 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.12 | $8.24 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.62 | $9.24 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.30 | $10.60 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
| Efficient EV | 6 | 0 | $2.10 | $0.96 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.36 | $1.54 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Wixom, MI
Morning in Wixom on Tuesday
Local time
6:35 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
30m 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?
Expect a highway-focused experience for 83% of this journey. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 16.1 miles on the Walter P Reuther Freeway, offering a consistent pace. As you transition onto I-96 and then Wixom Road, you'll experience a shift from freeway speeds to more typical suburban road conditions. The overall feel is one of efficient transit, designed to get you from point A to point B with minimal fuss.
83% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.1 mi on Walter P Reuther Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Walter P Reuther Freeway and I 96. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West 11 Mile Road.
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 8 decision points packed into just 24 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 11 Mile Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (South Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles (I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. 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 Wixom, MI, road signs point toward Walled Lake and Wixom Road North.
Walled Lake
21.7 mi in
|
~25m
Wixom Road North
22.1 mi in
|
~26m
About the Cities
Starting in Royal Oak, MI
Full guide →Founded 1891
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 30m. Total distance: 24 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (83%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.1 miles on Walter P Reuther Freeway. 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 Wixom, 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: near the start (West 11 Mile Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (South Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles (I 696 / Walter P Reuther Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Wixom, 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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