Significant routing difference by moving just a few miles

[Flint1979]

The "flip point" that always fascinates me is getting from IL/WI to MI, where it becomes better to go around the north side of Lake Michigan through the UP, versus south around Chicago. I've noticed from playing around and trying different places that it's a lot further north than I realize before you get to that flip point.

Going from Lambeau Field to Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI is about 7 hours either way, depending on Chicago traffic.

Google doesn't consider the SS Badger going across the lake at the moment, but I'm guessing it's about the same amount of time after taking into account time to load and unload. That routing is about 2 hours of actual driving.

Change the date to sometime in the summer on Google Maps. It's 168 miles, 5 hours, 40 minutes. But the thing with using a ferry is that you need to time it to when the ferry will be departing or else you could be waiting for quite a while. Another crossing that is quicker but going between these two locations might be a bit further and that is using the Lake Express across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Muskegon.

Another factor is the fare, which for one person in a car one way is 156$.

Right. That's crazy expensive.

[webny99]

Change the date to sometime in the summer on Google Maps. It's 168 miles, 5 hours, 40 minutes. But the thing with using a ferry is that you need to time it to when the ferry will be departing or else you could be waiting for quite a while. Another crossing that is quicker but going between these two locations might be a bit further and that is using the Lake Express across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Muskegon.

Another factor is the fare, which for one person in a car one way is 156$.

Right. That's crazy expensive.

But you do have to consider the fuel savings, too, which would be at least half that amount for a 7+ hour trip.

[Flint1979]

Change the date to sometime in the summer on Google Maps. It's 168 miles, 5 hours, 40 minutes. But the thing with using a ferry is that you need to time it to when the ferry will be departing or else you could be waiting for quite a while. Another crossing that is quicker but going between these two locations might be a bit further and that is using the Lake Express across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Muskegon.

Another factor is the fare, which for one person in a car one way is 156$.

Right. That's crazy expensive.

But you do have to consider the fuel savings, too, which would be at least half that amount for a 7+ hour trip.

You're probably looking at about $60. It's 439 miles from Lambeau Field to Ferris State and you'd probably use about 14-15 gallons of gas. It's 110 miles of driving (about 45 miles on the Wisconsin side, 65 miles on the Michigan side) so with that you're looking at about 3-4 gallons of gas so about 10-11 gallons less which would probably be about a $40 savings, so I'd say for some people that's not much but it is included I guess. It'd probably be about 6.5-7 hours of driving. I know to drive from Ludington to Manitowoc is like 7 hours and the S.S. Badger crosses the lake in 4 hours so you're saving 3 hours if you can time it right.