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Trip from Chicago, IL to Long Grove, IL

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

52m

Distance

32.3 mi

52 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 48m ★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 55m
3 PM
0h 56m
5 PM
1h 1m
8 PM
0h 50m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown chicago-il

Chicago, IL

Otoniel Alvarado

Downtown Long Grove, IL, IL

Long Grove, IL

Ali Soheil

Trip Overview

The drive from Chicago, IL to Long Grove, IL covers 32.3 miles and takes about 52m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Kennedy Expressway, Milwaukee Avenue, North Milwaukee Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.2 miles on Kennedy Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.05 one way before food or hotel costs.

About the Cities

Starting in Chicago, IL

Full guide →

Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.

Top landmarks

  • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
  • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
  • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs

Arriving in Long Grove, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1956

Long Grove is a village in Chicagoland.

Top landmarks

  • Robert Parker Coffin Bridge — bridge in Long Grove, Illinois

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 52m. Total distance: 32.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

52m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (35%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.

Drive Character

The drive from Chicago, IL to Long Grove, IL covers 32.3 miles and takes about 52m, using a mix of highways and local roads.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 22 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Kennedy Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.2 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near West Cermak 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 32.3 miles you will encounter 15 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 (West Cermak Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (South Halsted Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (South Ruble Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 15 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
0.2 mi into trip | ~1m in | West Cermak Road

At end of road, turn right onto West Cermak Road

Navigation decision point

6
0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in | South Halsted Street

Turn left onto South Halsted Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
0.7 mi into trip | ~2m in | South Ruble Street

Turn left onto South Ruble Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
1.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 90; I 94 / Dan Ryan Expressway

Merge onto I 90; I 94 / Dan Ryan Expressway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
12.4 mi into trip | ~18m in

Take the exit toward US 14 West: Caldwell Avenue

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 41A Toward US 14 West: Caldwell Avenue

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Kennedy Expressway 8.2 mi 11m
Milwaukee Avenue 6.8 mi 10m
North Milwaukee Avenue 4.7 mi 8m
North Caldwell Avenue 2.5 mi 3m
McHenry Road 2.3 mi 3m
Edens Expressway 2.2 mi 2m
East Lake Cook Road 2 mi 3m
Dan Ryan Expressway 0.9 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Kennedy Expressway — 8.2 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Chicago, IL and Long Grove, IL.

1

Start on this road

0.2 mi · 1 min · this road
2

At end of road, turn right onto West Cermak Road

0.2 mi · 26 sec · West Cermak Road
3

Turn left onto South Halsted Street

0.1 mi · 17 sec · South Halsted Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue

0.2 mi · 22 sec · South Canalport Avenue
5

Turn left onto South Ruble Street

0.1 mi · 22 sec · South Ruble Street
Use the left lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Toward I 90 West, I 94 West
7

Merge onto I 90; I 94

0.9 mi · 1 min · Dan Ryan Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Continue on I 90; I 94

8.2 mi · 11 min · Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 94

2.2 mi · 2 min · Edens Expressway
Toward I 94 West: Milwaukee Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Exit 41A Toward US 14 West: Caldwell Avenue Use the slight right lane.
11

Turn slight right onto US 14

2.5 mi · 3 min · North Caldwell Avenue
12

Turn left onto West Touhy Avenue

0.7 mi · 1 min · West Touhy Avenue
Use the left lane.
13

Turn right onto North Milwaukee Avenue

465 ft · 11 sec · North Milwaukee Avenue
Use the right lane.
14

Continue on North Milwaukee Avenue

3.6 mi · 6 min · North Milwaukee Avenue
15

Continue on IL 21

6.8 mi · 10 min · Milwaukee Avenue
Use the left lane.
16

Continue on US 45; IL 21

1.0 mi · 1 min · North Milwaukee Avenue
Use the left lane.
17

Turn left

0.3 mi · 57 sec
Use the left lane.
18

Turn straight onto East Lake Cook Road

2.0 mi · 3 min · East Lake Cook Road
Use the left lane.
19

Turn right onto IL 83

2.3 mi · 3 min · McHenry Road
Use the left lane.
20

Turn left onto North State Route 53

0.1 mi · 24 sec · North State Route 53
Use the left lane.
21

Turn right onto V77

0.4 mi · 57 sec · North Old McHenry Road
22

Arrive at destination

V77

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 16.2 mi from Chicago, IL · 25m into the drive

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Glenview, IL

16 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Buffalo Grove, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 32 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Glenview, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 16.2 miles from Chicago, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Long Grove, IL

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Long Grove, IL if you are unfamiliar with the area.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.05 one way

$10.10 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $5.54 $11.09
premium $4.89 $6.22 $12.43
diesel $5.61 $7.13 $14.26

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.7 0 $3.39 $1.55
Efficient EV 8.1 0 $2.83 $1.29
EV Truck/SUV 12.9 0 $4.52 $2.07

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (64% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Chicago, IL

Morning in Chicago on Saturday

Local time

11:21 AM

CDT

Current temp

51°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Long Grove, IL

Morning in Long Grove on Saturday

Local time

11:21 AM

CDT

Current temp

70°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

19 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

52m 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 Chicago, IL to Long Grove, IL covers 32.3 miles and takes about 52m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Kennedy Expressway, Milwaukee Avenue, North Milwaukee Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 16.2 miles from Chicago, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.05 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 32.3 miles you will encounter 15 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 (West Cermak Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (South Halsted Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (South Ruble Street): Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Chicago, IL to Long Grove, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.

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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore More

Return Trip

Long Grove, IL to Chicago, IL

Plan the drive back the other way.

32 mi 51m

Explore more options from Chicago, IL or browse trips ending in Long Grove, IL.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.