Origin
Des Plaines, IL
Morning in Des Plaines on Saturday
Local time
8:24 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Brookfield, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
19.4 mi
31 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Brookfield, IL
Quang Vuong
Trip Overview
The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Brookfield, IL covers 19.4 miles and takes about 30m 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, West Cermak Road, South Des Plaines River Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.1 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.03 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Des Plaines, IL
Full guide →Des Plaines is in Chicagoland. It is an inner-ring, northwest suburb of Chicago with two distinct portions: a suburban northern portion reminiscient of other, nearby northwest suburbs (including Niles, Park Ridge, and Mount Prospect), as well as a built-up southern portion with the businesses, hotels, and other amenities of the O'Hare Airport corridor (much like Rosemont, Chicago's O'Hare neighborhood, and Elk Grove Village).
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 30m. Total distance: 19.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 30m drive with frequent turns across 19.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 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 12.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near South Des Plaines River Road.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 19.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 13 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Des Plaines River Road
Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
2.3 mi into trip
|
~4m 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.
6
14.5 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward Cermak Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 29
Toward Cermak Road
7
14.6 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
17.8 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
East 31st Street
Turn left onto East 31st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-State Tollway | 12.1 mi | 15m |
| West Cermak Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| North La Grange Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Grand Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| East 31st Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Maple Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Henry Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Tri-State Tollway
— 12.1 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Brookfield, IL.
1
Start on Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Henry Avenue
2
Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
Toward I 294 South: Indiana
4
Merge onto I 294
11 mi
·
14 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 294
0.5 mi
·
29 sec
·
Tri-State Tollway
6
Take the exit
468 ft
·
11 sec
7
Merge onto I 294
0.1 mi
·
35 sec
·
Tri-State Tollway
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Exit 29
Toward Cermak Road
9
Keep slight right at fork
437 ft
·
10 sec
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Continue on West Cermak Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West Cermak Road
11
Turn right onto US 12; US 20; US 45
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
North La Grange Road
12
Turn left onto East 31st Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East 31st Street
Use the left lane.
13
Turn slight right onto Grand Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Boulevard
14
Enter roundabout onto Maple Avenue
146 ft
·
5 sec
·
Maple Avenue
15
Continue on Maple Avenue
0.2 mi
·
38 sec
·
Maple Avenue
16
Turn right onto Grant Avenue
101 ft
·
4 sec
·
Grant Avenue
17
Arrive at destination
Grant Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.03 one way
$6.07 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.33 | $6.66 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.73 | $7.47 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.28 | $8.57 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.73
Tri-state Tollway
(12.1 mi)
$0.73
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$1
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.04 | $0.93 |
| Efficient EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.70 | $0.78 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.72 | $1.24 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Brookfield, IL
Morning in Brookfield on Saturday
Local time
8:24 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°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
1 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
30m 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 Des Plaines, IL to Brookfield, IL covers 19.4 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Tri-State Tollway, West Cermak Road, South Des Plaines River Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.7 miles from Des Plaines, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.03 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 is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 19.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
The route from Des Plaines, IL to Brookfield, 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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