Origin
Buffalo Grove, IL
Evening in Buffalo Grove on Friday
Local time
5:08 PM
CDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Buffalo Grove, IL to Waukegan, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
23.5 mi
38 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 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Buffalo Grove, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Buffalo Grove, IL to Waukegan, IL covers 23.5 miles and takes about 33m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Tri-State Tollway, East Lake Cook Road, Belvidere Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.4 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.67 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Buffalo Grove, IL
Full guide →Buffalo Grove is a village in Chicagoland, in both Lake and Cook counties, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
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 33m. Total distance: 23.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 33m drive with frequent turns across 23.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Tri-State Tollway is the longest continuous segment at about 13.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Lake Cook Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 23.5 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: at 0.2 miles (Lake Cook Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Lake Cook Road
Turn right onto Lake Cook Road
Navigation decision point
6
4.8 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Turn left toward I 94 Toll West: Wisconsin
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 94 Toll West: Wisconsin
5
4.8 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 94 Toll West: Wisconsin
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 94 Toll West: Wisconsin
5
5.2 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 294 / Tri-State Tollway
Merge onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
18.6 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward IL 120 East: Belvidere Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 11A
Toward IL 120 East: Belvidere Road
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-State Tollway | 13.4 mi | 15m |
| East Lake Cook Road | 4.5 mi | 7m |
| Belvidere Road | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Belvidere Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| South Jackson Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Glen Rock Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Buffalo Grove Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Lake Cook Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Tri-State Tollway
— 13.4 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Buffalo Grove, IL and Waukegan, IL.
1
Start on Aptakisic Road
60 ft
·
5 sec
·
Aptakisic Road
2
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
South Buffalo Grove Road
3
Turn right onto Lake Cook Road
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
Lake Cook Road
4
Continue on East Lake Cook Road
4.5 mi
·
7 min
·
East Lake Cook Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left
182 ft
·
6 sec
Toward I 94 Toll West: Wisconsin
Use the left lane.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 94 Toll West: Wisconsin
7
Merge onto I 294
13 mi
·
15 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Exit 11A
Toward IL 120 East: Belvidere Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto IL 120
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Belvidere Road
10
Continue on IL 120
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Belvidere Street
11
Turn left onto Glen Rock Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Glen Rock Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Turn left onto South Jackson Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Jackson Street
13
Arrive at destination
North Jackson Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.67 one way
$7.35 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.03 | $8.07 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.52 | $9.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.19 | $10.38 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.80
Tri-state Tollway
(13.4 mi)
$0.80
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$1
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.47 | $1.13 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.06 | $0.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.29 | $1.50 |
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
Waukegan, IL
Evening in Waukegan on Friday
Local time
5:08 PM
CDT
Current temp
62°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
4 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
33m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Buffalo Grove, IL to Waukegan, IL covers 23.5 miles and takes about 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Tri-State Tollway, East Lake Cook Road, Belvidere Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.7 miles from Buffalo Grove, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.67 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 23.5 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Lake Cook Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
The route from Buffalo Grove, IL to Waukegan, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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