Origin
Long Grove, IL
Night in Long Grove on Friday
Local time
11:42 PM
CDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
13.6 mi
22 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 26m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Grove, IL
Ali Soheil
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL covers 13.6 miles and takes about 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on State Route 53, McHenry Road, North Elmhurst Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.13 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Long Grove, IL
Full guide →Long Grove is a village in Chicagoland.
Arriving 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 28m. Total distance: 13.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m 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 28m drive with frequent turns across 13.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 9 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
State Route 53 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 Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL is easy. At 28m 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 Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| State Route 53 | — | — |
| McHenry Road | — | — |
| North Elmhurst Road | — | — |
| East Rand Road | — | — |
| Rand Road | — | — |
| South Des Plaines River Road | — | — |
| Henry Avenue | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
State Route 53
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Long Grove, IL and Des Plaines, IL.
1
Start on North Old McHenry Road
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
North Old McHenry Road
2
Turn left onto North State Route 53
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
North State Route 53
3
Turn right onto McHenry Road
3.7 mi
·
6 min
·
McHenry Road
4
Turn right onto North Elmhurst Road
4.3 mi
·
7 min
·
North Elmhurst Road
5
Turn left onto East Rand Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
East Rand Road
6
Continue on Rand Road
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Rand Road
7
Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
8
Turn right onto Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Henry Avenue
9
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.13 one way
$4.25 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.33 | $4.67 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.62 | $5.23 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.00 | $6.01 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.8 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 | 4.1 | 0 | $1.43 | $0.65 |
| Efficient EV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.19 | $0.54 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.90 | $0.87 |
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
Des Plaines, IL
Night in Des Plaines on Friday
Local time
11:42 PM
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
19 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
28m 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 Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL covers 13.6 miles and takes about 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are State Route 53, McHenry Road, North Elmhurst Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.8 miles from Long Grove, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.13 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 Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL is easy. At 28m 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 Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Long Grove, IL to Des Plaines, 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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