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Trip from Evanston, IL to Goodings Grove, IL

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 4m

Distance

40.4 mi

65 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 16 min
4 AM
0h 59m ★
6 AM
1h 4m
8 AM
1h 15m
10 AM
1h 8m
12 PM
1h 7m
3 PM
1h 9m
5 PM
1h 14m
8 PM
1h 1m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Evanston, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Goodings Grove, IL, IL

Goodings Grove, IL

Sam McCool

Trip Overview

The drive from Evanston, IL to Goodings Grove, IL covers 40.4 miles and takes about 1h 4m 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 Touhy Avenue, Oakton Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 17.5 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.32 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 4m. Total distance: 40.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 4m 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 1h 4m drive with frequent turns across 40.4 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 29 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 17.5 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 early in the drive.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 40.4 miles you will encounter 21 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 29.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 21 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

6
0 mi into trip | ~0m in

At end of road, turn left

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

7
29.5 mi into trip | ~45m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 55 South: Saint Louis

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 55 South: Saint Louis
8
31.7 mi into trip | ~49m in

Take the exit toward IL 83 North, IL 83 South: Kingery Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 274 Toward IL 83 North, IL 83 South: Kingery Road
8
31.9 mi into trip | ~49m in

Keep slight left at fork toward IL 83 South: Kingery Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward IL 83 South: Kingery Road
8
32.1 mi into trip | ~50m in

Keep slight right at fork toward IL 83 South: Kingery Road South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward IL 83 South: Kingery Road South

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Evanston, IL to Goodings Grove, IL, road signs begin pointing toward St. Louis along the way.

St. Louis

28.9 mi in | ~44m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 17.5 mi 22m
West Touhy Avenue 4 mi 7m
Oakton Street 4 mi 7m
Bell Road 3.9 mi 7m
Kingery Highway 2.2 mi 3m
Adlai Stevenson Expressway 1.8 mi 2m
Archer Avenue 1 mi 1m
Asbury Avenue 1 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 17.5 mi, about 22m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Evanston, IL and Goodings Grove, IL.

1

Start on this road

197 ft · 21 sec · this road
2

At end of road, turn left

139 ft · 15 sec
3

At end of road, turn left onto Dempster Street

213 ft · 14 sec · Dempster Street
4

Turn left onto Asbury Avenue

1.0 mi · 1 min · Asbury Avenue
Use the left lane.
5

Turn right onto Oakton Street

4.0 mi · 7 min · Oakton Street
6

Turn slight left onto Gross Point Road

0.5 mi · 52 sec · Gross Point Road
7

Turn straight onto New Gross Point Road

0.1 mi · 14 sec · New Gross Point Road
8

Turn right onto Howard Street

0.2 mi · 34 sec · Howard Street
9

Turn left onto North Lehigh Avenue

120 ft · 2 sec · North Lehigh Avenue
10

Turn right onto West Gross Point Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · West Gross Point Road
11

Turn slight right onto West Touhy Avenue

4.0 mi · 7 min · West Touhy Avenue
Use the right lane.
12

Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road

184 ft · 3 sec · South Des Plaines River Road
13

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 55 sec
Toward I 294 South: Indiana
14

Merge onto I 294

11 mi · 14 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

4.8 mi · 5 min · Tri-State Tollway
16

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294

1.2 mi · 1 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 23 Toward I 55: Chicago, St. Louis
18

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 56 sec
Toward I 55 South: Saint Louis Use the slight right lane.
19

Merge onto I 55

1.8 mi · 2 min · Adlai Stevenson Expressway
20

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 19 sec
Exit 274 Toward IL 83 North, IL 83 South: Kingery Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward IL 83 South: Kingery Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 44 sec
Toward IL 83 South: Kingery Road South Use the slight right lane.
23

Merge onto IL 83

200 ft · 3 sec · Kingery Highway
24

Continue on IL 83

2.1 mi · 2 min · Kingery Highway
25

Continue on IL 83

1.0 mi · 1 min · IL 83
26

Continue on IL 171; IL 83

1.0 mi · 1 min · Archer Avenue
27

Turn left onto Bell Road

3.9 mi · 7 min · Bell Road
28

Turn left onto CH 37

49 ft · 0 sec · West 143rd Street
29

Arrive at destination

CH 37

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 20.2 mi from Evanston, IL · 33m into the drive

city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Des Plaines, IL

20 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Orland Park, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 40 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Elmhurst, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 20.2 miles from Evanston, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Goodings Grove, IL

The final approach into Goodings Grove, IL usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.32 one way

$12.63 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 14 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $6.93 $13.87
premium $4.89 $7.77 $15.55
diesel $5.61 $8.92 $17.84

Estimated Tolls: $1.05

Tri-state Tollway (17.5 mi) $1.05

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$1

Total

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 14.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.1 0 $4.24 $1.94
Efficient EV 10.1 0 $3.53 $1.62
EV Truck/SUV 16.2 0 $5.66 $2.59

Gas CO2

14 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (64% 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 16, 2026

Origin

Evanston, IL

Afternoon in Evanston on Friday

Local time

12:53 PM

CDT

Current temp

67°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Goodings Grove, IL

Afternoon in Goodings Grove on Friday

Local time

12:53 PM

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

15 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

1h 4m 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 Evanston, IL to Goodings Grove, IL covers 40.4 miles and takes about 1h 4m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Tri-State Tollway, West Touhy Avenue, Oakton Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 20.2 miles from Evanston, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.32 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 40.4 miles you will encounter 21 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

The main spots that need attention: near the start: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 29.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

On the drive from Evanston, IL to Goodings Grove, IL, road signs begin pointing toward St. Louis along the way.

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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Explore More

Return Trip

Goodings Grove, IL to Evanston, IL

Plan the drive back the other way.

40.2 mi 1h 4m

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