Origin
Saint Clair Shores, MI
Late night in Saint Clair Shores on Sunday
Local time
3:37 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Saint Clair Shores, MI to Farmington Hills, MI
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
27.5 mi
44 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 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Saint Clair Shores, MI
fish socks
Farmington Hills, MI
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 27.5-mile drive from Saint Clair Shores to Farmington Hills takes about 34 minutes and is perfect for a single day trip. You'll mainly be on the Walter P Reuther Freeway, with about 83% of the journey on highways, making it a quick and efficient transit. With a modest estimated fuel cost of $4, this route offers a practical way to travel between two points within Michigan's Midwest region. It's a short enough distance that you won't need an overnight stay, offering flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Walter P Reuther Freeway | 22.9 mi | 24m |
| East 11 Mile Road | 1.9 mi | 4m |
| West 11 Mile Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| Orchard Lake Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Farmington Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Jefferson Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Walter P Reuther Freeway
— 22.9 mi, about 24m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Saint Clair Shores, MI and Farmington Hills, MI.
1
Start on this road
144 ft
·
12 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Jefferson Avenue
129 ft
·
5 sec
·
Jefferson Avenue
3
Turn right onto East 11 Mile Road
1.9 mi
·
4 min
·
East 11 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward I 696 West
5
Merge onto I 696
23 mi
·
24 min
·
Walter P Reuther Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 5
Toward Farmington Hills, Park&Ride
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn left onto Orchard Lake Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Orchard Lake Road
Use the left lane.
8
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West 11 Mile Road
Use the right lane.
9
Turn right onto Farmington Road
443 ft
·
9 sec
·
Farmington Road
10
Arrive at destination
Farmington Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 26.4 — 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
|
Jefferson Avenue
Turn right onto Jefferson Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East 11 Mile Road
Turn right onto East 11 Mile Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
25.1 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Take the exit toward Farmington Hills, Park&Ride
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 5
Toward Farmington Hills, Park&Ride
6
25.5 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
Orchard Lake Road
Turn left onto Orchard Lake Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
26.4 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
West 11 Mile Road
Turn right onto West 11 Mile Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.30 one way
$8.60 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.72 | $9.44 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.29 | $10.58 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.07 | $12.14 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.89 | $1.32 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.41 | $1.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11 | 0 | $3.85 | $1.76 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Farmington Hills, MI
Late night in Farmington Hills on Sunday
Local time
3:37 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 8 to 13 mph
87% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 14 at 7:33PM EDT until April 21 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Gaylord MI
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 14 at 7:33PM EDT until April 18 at 5:00AM EDT by NWS Gaylord MI
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
13 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
34m 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 predominantly highway-focused experience on this route, with the Walter P Reuther Freeway forming the backbone of your journey. The longest uninterrupted stretch covers an impressive 22.9 miles, allowing for a consistent pace. While the majority of the drive is on high-speed roadways, you'll transition to local roads like East 11 Mile Road and West 11 Mile Road as you approach your destination. This mix means you'll experience the efficiency of freeway travel for most of the 34-minute trip, with a brief shift to a more suburban road setting.
83% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.9 mi on Walter P Reuther Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Walter P Reuther Freeway and East 11 Mile Road. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Jefferson Avenue.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 27.5 miles you will encounter 8 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: near the start (Jefferson Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East 11 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 25.1 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.
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 Saint Clair Shores, MI to Farmington Hills, MI, road signs begin pointing toward Park&Ride along the way.
Park&Ride
25.1 mi in
|
~29m
About the Cities
Starting in Saint Clair Shores, MI
Full guide →St. Clair Shores is in Macomb County, Michigan and is an inner ring suburb of Detroit.
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 34m. Total distance: 27.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m 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 22.9 miles on Walter P Reuther Freeway. 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: near the start (Jefferson Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East 11 Mile Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 25.1 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 Farmington Hills, 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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