Origin
Des Plaines, IL
Late night in Des Plaines on Saturday
Local time
2:53 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Plaines, 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
23m
Distance
13.2 mi
21 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Long Grove, IL
Ali Soheil
Trip Overview
Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, IL is 13.2 miles and takes about 23m via McHenry Road, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within Illinois, moving you from one part of the Midwest to another. Expect a local feel for the entire journey, making it an easy and quick trip. It's a straightforward drive, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without much fuss or a long commitment.
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).
Arriving in Long Grove, IL
Full guide →Long Grove is a village in Chicagoland.
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 23m. Total distance: 13.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (1%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This route is a turn-heavy local drive, with a highway share of 100%. You'll spend your time navigating local roads, primarily on McHenry Road, North Elmhurst Road, and Rand Road. The longest stretch without a turn is 3.7 miles on McHenry Road. The character remains consistent throughout, offering a typical suburban driving experience with frequent intersections and changes in direction.
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.
McHenry Road is the longest continuous segment at about 3.7 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 23m 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 4.7 miles (IL 83 / North Elmhurst Road): 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.
4
4.7 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
IL 83 / North Elmhurst Road
Turn right onto IL 83 / North Elmhurst Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
9 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
IL 83 / McHenry Road
Turn left onto IL 83 / McHenry Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
12.7 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
North State Route 53
Turn left onto North State Route 53
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| McHenry Road | 3.7 mi | 6m |
| North Elmhurst Road | 3 mi | 4m |
| Rand Road | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| South Elmhurst Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| East Rand Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| North Old McHenry Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| North State Route 53 | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
McHenry Road
— 3.7 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Long Grove, 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
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Rand Road
5
Turn right onto IL 83
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
North Elmhurst Road
Use the right lane.
6
Continue on IL 83
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Elmhurst Road
7
Turn left onto IL 83
3.7 mi
·
6 min
·
McHenry Road
Use the left lane.
8
Turn left onto North State Route 53
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
North State Route 53
Use the left lane.
9
Turn right onto V77
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
·
North Old McHenry Road
10
Arrive at destination
V77
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.06 one way
$4.13 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.27 | $4.53 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.91 | $5.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4 | 0 | $1.39 | $0.63 |
| Efficient EV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.15 | $0.53 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.85 | $0.84 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Long Grove, IL
Late night in Long Grove on Saturday
Local time
2:53 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
23m 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 Long Grove, IL covers 13.2 miles and takes about 23m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are McHenry Road, North Elmhurst Road, Rand Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.6 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 $2.06 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 23m 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 4.7 miles (IL 83 / North Elmhurst Road): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Des Plaines, 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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