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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

Save up to 6 min
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.

city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Des Plaines, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Long Grove, IL, IL

Long Grove, IL

Ali Soheil

Trip Overview

The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, IL covers 13.2 miles and takes about 23m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on South Des Plaines River Road, Rand Road, East Rand Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.06 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).

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 (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 23m drive with frequent turns across 13.2 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.
South Des Plaines River Road is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, IL is easy. At 23m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
South Des Plaines River Road
Rand Road
East Rand Road
North Elmhurst Road
South Elmhurst Road
McHenry Road
State Route 53
North Old McHenry Road

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: South Des Plaines River Road — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

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 Rand Road

2.2 mi · 3 min · Rand Road
4

Continue on East Rand Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · East Rand Road
5

Turn right onto North Elmhurst Road

3.0 mi · 4 min · North Elmhurst Road
6

Continue on South Elmhurst Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · South Elmhurst Road
7

Turn left onto McHenry Road

3.7 mi · 6 min · McHenry Road
8

Turn left onto North State Route 53

0.1 mi · 25 sec · North State Route 53
9

Turn right onto North Old McHenry Road

0.4 mi · 58 sec · North Old McHenry Road
10

Arrive at your destination

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Des Plaines, IL

Late night in Des Plaines on Saturday

Local time

1:24 AM

CDT

Current temp

51°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Long Grove, IL

Late night in Long Grove on Saturday

Local time

1:24 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 South Des Plaines River Road, Rand Road, East 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.

The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, IL is easy. At 23m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Des Plaines, IL to Long Grove, 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL

Plan the drive back the other way.

13.2 mi 22m

More trips to Long Grove, IL

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