Origin
Lakewood, IL
Late night in Lakewood on Friday
Local time
2:16 AM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lakewood, IL to Des Plaines, IL
Compiled by the Trip.ovh editorial team · Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026 · Methodology
Drive Time
52m
Distance
30.6 mi
49 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakewood, IL
Mike Tyurin
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Lakewood, IL to Des Plaines, IL covers 30.6 miles and takes about 52m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Northwest Highway, North Rand Road, Rand Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.3 miles on Northwest Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.78 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 52m. Total distance: 30.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
52m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (16%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 52m drive with frequent turns across 30.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Northwest Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 7.3 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 0.5 miles in near Riverside Drive.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 52m 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 0.5 miles (Riverside Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Lake Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (US 14 / West Virginia Street): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0.5 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Riverside Drive
Turn left onto Riverside Drive
Navigation decision point
4
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Lake Avenue
Turn right onto Lake Avenue
Navigation decision point
3
1.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 14 / West Virginia Street
Turn right onto US 14 / West Virginia Street
Navigation decision point
5
14.2 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
US 12 / Rand Road
Turn right onto US 12 / Rand Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
30.5 mi into trip
|
~51m in
|
Henry Avenue
Turn right onto Henry Avenue
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Highway | 7.3 mi | 12m |
| North Rand Road | 6.6 mi | 11m |
| Rand Road | 6.6 mi | 8m |
| State Route 22 | 4.9 mi | 7m |
| West Rand Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| Broadway Avenue | 0.5 mi | 2m |
| West Virginia Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Northwest Highway
— 7.3 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, IL and Des Plaines, IL.
1
Start on Broadway Avenue
341 ft
·
20 sec
·
Broadway Avenue
2
Continue on Broadway Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway Avenue
3
Turn left onto Riverside Drive
305 ft
·
13 sec
·
Riverside Drive
4
Turn right onto Lake Avenue
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Lake Avenue
5
Continue on Lake Shore Drive
509 ft
·
22 sec
·
Lake Shore Drive
6
Continue on South Dole Avenue
0.3 mi
·
52 sec
·
South Dole Avenue
7
Turn right onto US 14
0.4 mi
·
35 sec
·
West Virginia Street
8
Continue on US 14
7.3 mi
·
12 min
·
Northwest Highway
9
Turn left onto IL 22
4.9 mi
·
7 min
·
State Route 22
10
Continue on IL 22
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
West Main Street
11
Turn right onto US 12
4.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Rand Road
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on US 12
6.6 mi
·
11 min
·
North Rand Road
13
Continue on US 12
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West Rand Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
14
Continue on US 12
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Rand Road
15
Turn right onto US 12; US 45
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
16
Turn right onto Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Henry Avenue
17
Arrive at destination
Henry Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 15.3 mi from Lakewood, IL · 27m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
15 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 30.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 15.3 miles from Lakewood, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Des Plaines, IL
Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Des Plaines, IL if you are unfamiliar with the area.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.78 one way
$9.57 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.25 | $10.51 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.89 | $11.78 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.76 | $13.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
| Efficient EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.68 | $1.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.28 | $1.96 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 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.
Destination
Des Plaines, IL
Late night in Des Plaines on Friday
Local time
2:16 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°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
17 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
52m 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 Lakewood, IL to Des Plaines, IL covers 30.6 miles and takes about 52m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Northwest Highway, North Rand Road, Rand Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.3 miles from Lakewood, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.78 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 52m 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 0.5 miles (Riverside Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Lake Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (US 14 / West Virginia Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from Lakewood, IL to Des Plaines, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.
Data sources
The figures on this page are computed from open government and mapping datasets, not crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Full methodology, refresh cadence, and limitations are documented on the methodology page.
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