There are 7 ways to get from Des Moines to Houghton Lake by plane, car, bus, train, or taxi
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly to Traverse City, drive
best- Fly from Des Moines (DSM) to Traverse City (TVC)plane DSM - TVC
- Drive from Traverse-City-Airport-TVC to Houghton Lakecar
5h 34m$125–589Drive 621.7 mi
cheapest- Drive from Des Moines to Houghton Lakecar 621.7 mi
10h 20m$114–164Bus, train, taxi
- Take the bus from Des Moines to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Stationtrain
- Take the bus from Grand Rapids to Cadillacbus
- Take the taxi from Cadillac to Houghton Laketaxi
16h 57m$199–346Fly to Mbs International Airport, taxi
- Fly from Des Moines (DSM) to Mbs International Airport (MBS)plane DSM - MBS
- Take the taxi from Mbs International Airport (MBS) to Houghton Laketaxi
5h 11m$208–691Bus, taxi via Grand Rapids
- Take the bus from Des Moines to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Take the bus from Chicago Union Station to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Stationbus
- Take the bus from Grand Rapids to Cadillacbus
- Take the taxi from Cadillac to Houghton Laketaxi
16h 57m$204–321Bus, train, taxi via Galesburg
- Take the bus from Des Moines to Galesburgbus
- Take the train from Galesburg Amtrak Station to Chicago Union Stationtrain
- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Stationtrain
- Take the bus from East Lansing, MI to Clarebus
- Take the taxi from Clare to Houghton Laketaxi
17h 26m$207–399Bus, taxi
- Take the bus from Des Moines to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Take the bus from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Stationbus
- Take the bus from East Lansing, MI to Graylingbus
- Take the taxi from Grayling to Houghton Laketaxi
17h 29m$237–366
Des Moines (DSM) to Traverse City (TVC) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Des Moines to Houghton Lake is to drive which costs $110 - $170 and takes 10h 20m.
The fastest way to get from Des Moines to Houghton Lake is to fly and taxi which takes 5h 11m and costs $200 - $700.
The distance between Des Moines and Houghton Lake is 540 miles. The road distance is 625.4 miles.
The best way to get from Des Moines to Houghton Lake without a car is to bus and train and taxi which takes 16h 57m and costs $190 - $350.
It takes approximately 5h 34m to get from Des Moines to Houghton Lake, including transfers.
Houghton Lake is 1h ahead of Des Moines. It is currently 7:35 AM in Des Moines and 8:35 AM in Houghton Lake.
Yes, the driving distance between Des Moines to Houghton Lake is 625 miles. It takes approximately 10h 20m to drive from Des Moines to Houghton Lake.
There are 93+ hotels available in Houghton Lake.
What companies run services between Des Moines, IA, USA and Houghton Lake, MI, USA?
There is no direct connection from Des Moines to Houghton Lake. However, you can take the taxi to Des-Moines-Airport-DSM airport, fly to Traverse City (TVC), then drive to Houghton Lake. Alternatively, you can take the bus to Chicago Bus Station, walk to Chicago Union Station, take the train to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Station, walk to Grand Rapids, take the bus to Cadillac, then take the taxi to Houghton Lake.
- Website
- united.com
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Chicago O'Hare
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 34m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–550
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Denver
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 45m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $210–900
Flights from Des Moines to Mbs International Airport via Chicago O'Hare
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 3m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–550
- Website
- delta.com
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Detroit
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 31m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $110–600
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Minneapolis
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 19m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $100–600
Flights from Des Moines to Mbs International Airport via Detroit
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 57m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $100–600
Flights from Des Moines to Mbs International Airport via Minneapolis, Detroit
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 35m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $130–650
- Website
- aa.com
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Chicago O'Hare
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 7m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–550
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Charlotte
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 57m
- When
- Saturday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $200–850
Flights from Des Moines to Traverse City via Philadelphia
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 29m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- $200–900
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- amtrak.com
Train from Chicago Union Station to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 4m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $55–120
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Train from Galesburg Amtrak Station to Chicago Union Station
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 55m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $50–110
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Train from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Station
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 55m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $65–140
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Rome2Rio's guide to Greyhound USA
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 214-849-8100
- [email protected]
- Website
- greyhound.com
Bus from Des Moines to Chicago Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 5m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $50–100
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Des Moines to Chicago Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 5m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $50–100
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Des Moines to Galesburg
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $30–60
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Des Moines to Chicago Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 5m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $50–100
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
- Phone
- +1 989-725-5105
- Website
- indiantrails.com
Bus from Grand Rapids to Cadillac
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 50m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $18–40
- Website
- https://indiantrails.com
Bus from Grand Rapids to Cadillac
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 50m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $18–40
- Website
- https://indiantrails.com
Bus from East Lansing, MI to Clare
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $16–35
- Website
- https://indiantrails.com
Bus from East Lansing, MI to Grayling
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 50m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $26–50
- Website
- https://indiantrails.com
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- amtrak.com
Bus from Chicago Union Station to Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 4m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $60–95
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Bus from Chicago Union Station to East Lansing Amtrak Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $75–110
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
- Ave. Duration
- 48 min
- Estimated price
- $45–120
A Greater Bay Cab Co
- Phone
- +1 989-894-1118
Tri-City Taxi
- Phone
- +1 989-684-5960
Want to know more about travelling around United States
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
Related travel guides
Travelling to the US: What do I need to know?
Read the travel guide
Need to know: Greyhound
Read the travel guide
Why you should take the train in the US
Read the travel guide






