Origin
Des Plaines, IL
Morning in Des Plaines on Friday
Local time
10:58 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Island Lake, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
24.9 mi
40 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 37m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Island Lake, IL
Lorenzo Manera
Trip Overview
The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Island Lake, IL covers 24.9 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East Rand Road, Rand Road, East State Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18.8 miles on East Rand Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.89 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 24.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 40m drive with frequent turns across 24.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East Rand Road is the longest continuous segment at about 18.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near South Des Plaines River Road.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 40m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 22.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Des Plaines River Road
Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road
Navigation decision point
4
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 12 / Rand Road
Turn left onto US 12 / Rand Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
22.1 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward IL 176
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward IL 176
3
22.3 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
IL 176 / West Liberty Street
Turn left onto IL 176 / West Liberty Street
Navigation decision point
3
24.5 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
Greenleaf Avenue
Turn right onto Greenleaf Avenue
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Rand Road | 18.8 mi | 28m |
| Rand Road | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| East State Road | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| West Liberty Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Greenleaf Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Henry Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Rose Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Rand Road
— 18.8 mi, about 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Island Lake, IL.
1
Start on Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Henry Avenue
2
Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
3
Turn left onto US 12
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Rand Road
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on US 12
19 mi
·
28 min
·
East Rand Road
Use the left lane.
5
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
Toward IL 176
Use the slight right lane.
6
Turn left onto IL 176
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Liberty Street
7
Continue on IL 176
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East State Road
8
Turn right onto Greenleaf Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Greenleaf Avenue
9
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
205 ft
·
9 sec
·
Rose Avenue
10
Arrive at destination
Rose Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.89 one way
$7.79 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.27 | $8.55 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.79 | $9.58 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.50 | $11.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.61 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.18 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.49 | $1.59 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% 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
Island Lake, IL
Morning in Island Lake on Friday
Local time
10:58 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
40m 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 Island Lake, IL covers 24.9 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East Rand Road, Rand Road, East State Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.5 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 $3.89 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 straightforward 40m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 22.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Des Plaines, IL to Island Lake, 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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