Origin
Des Plaines, IL
Evening in Des Plaines on Friday
Local time
7:00 PM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Portage Park, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
18m
Distance
8.9 mi
14 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Portage Park, IL
Willian Justen de Vasconcellos
Trip Overview
Des Plaines to Portage Park is 8.9 miles and takes about 18 minutes via South Northwest Highway, Busse Highway, and North Central Avenue, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, connecting two Midwest communities. It's a very local drive, meaning you'll navigate city streets more than highways. Plan for a quick transit that's more about getting from point A to B efficiently than about a scenic journey. Consider this an easy, straightforward hop perfect for a quick errand or transition.
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 18m. Total distance: 8.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
18m 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 with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This is a turn-heavy local drive, with a 0% highway share, so expect frequent intersections and traffic signals. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is about 4 miles on South Northwest Highway. As you progress, the route weaves through various surface streets, transitioning between different local thoroughfares. The pace will be dictated by city traffic and the need to make several turns, making it a more engaged driving experience than a highway cruise.
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.
South Northwest Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 4 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 0.8 miles in near East Oakton Street.
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 18m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (East Oakton Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (Busse Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (West Goodman Street): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
East Oakton Street
Turn left onto East Oakton Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Busse Highway
Turn right onto Busse Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
7.8 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
West Goodman Street
At end of road, turn left onto West Goodman Street
Navigation decision point
5
8.9 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
North Linder Avenue
Turn right onto North Linder Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
8.9 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
West Hutchinson Street
Turn right onto West Hutchinson Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Northwest Highway | 4 mi | 7m |
| Busse Highway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| North Central Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| East Oakton Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West Touhy Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Cullom Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Henry Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South Northwest Highway
— 4 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Portage Park, IL.
1
Start on Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Henry Avenue
2
Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
3
Turn left onto East Oakton Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
East Oakton Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto Busse Highway
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Busse Highway
Use the left lane.
5
Turn straight onto West Touhy Avenue
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
West Touhy Avenue
6
Turn slight right onto South Northwest Highway
4.0 mi
·
7 min
·
South Northwest Highway
7
Turn right onto North Central Avenue
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
North Central Avenue
8
At end of road, turn left onto West Goodman Street
274 ft
·
10 sec
·
West Goodman Street
9
Turn right onto North Central Avenue
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
North Central Avenue
10
Turn left onto West Cullom Avenue
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
West Cullom Avenue
11
Turn right onto North Linder Avenue
334 ft
·
16 sec
·
North Linder Avenue
12
Turn right onto West Hutchinson Street
99 ft
·
4 sec
·
West Hutchinson Street
13
Arrive at destination
West Hutchinson Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.39 one way
$2.78 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.53 | $3.06 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.71 | $3.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.97 | $3.93 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.93 | $0.43 |
| Efficient EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.78 | $0.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.25 | $0.57 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Portage Park, IL
Evening in Portage Park on Friday
Local time
7:00 PM
CDT
Current temp
48°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
3 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
18m 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 Portage Park, IL covers 8.9 miles and takes about 18m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are South Northwest Highway, Busse Highway, North Central Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.5 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 $1.39 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 18m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (East Oakton Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (Busse Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (West Goodman Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from Des Plaines, IL to Portage Park, 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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