Origin
Mount Prospect, IL
Late night in Mount Prospect on Friday
Local time
4:27 AM
CDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mount Prospect, IL to Chicago, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
24.4 mi
39 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mount Prospect, IL
Choco Kitty
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
The drive from Mount Prospect, IL to Chicago, IL covers 24.4 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Kennedy Expressway, North Milwaukee Avenue, East Golf Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.1 miles on Kennedy Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.81 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 24.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Mount Prospect, IL to Chicago, IL covers 24.4 miles and takes about 38m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Kennedy Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West Central Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 24.4 miles you will encounter 13 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 (West Central Road): Navigation decision point; at 8.9 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 13 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Central Road
Turn left onto West Central Road
Navigation decision point
5
8.9 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
West Touhy Avenue
Turn left onto West Touhy Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
11.9 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the ramp toward I 94 East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 94 East
5
12.2 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
I 94 / Edens Expressway
Merge onto I 94 / Edens Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
23.3 mi into trip
|
~35m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Expressway | 8.1 mi | 11m |
| North Milwaukee Avenue | 3.5 mi | 5m |
| East Golf Road | 3.1 mi | 5m |
| North Caldwell Avenue | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Edens Expressway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Rand Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Dan Ryan Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West Central Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Kennedy Expressway
— 8.1 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mount Prospect, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on this road
52 ft
·
9 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto West Central Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Central Road
3
Turn slight right onto US 12
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Rand Road
4
Turn slight left onto IL 58
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
East Golf Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto IL 21
3.5 mi
·
5 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
6
Turn left onto West Touhy Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Touhy Avenue
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto US 14
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
North Caldwell Avenue
8
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 94 East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Merge onto I 94
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Edens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on I 90; I 94
8.1 mi
·
11 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
11
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
12
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Use the slight right lane.
13
Turn slight left onto South Union Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Union Avenue
14
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
505 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
15
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Halsted Street
16
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
West Cermak Road
17
Turn left
152 ft
·
11 sec
18
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
19
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.81 one way
$7.63 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.19 | $8.38 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.70 | $9.39 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.39 | $10.77 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
| Efficient EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.42 | $1.56 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Chicago, IL
Late night in Chicago on Friday
Local time
4:27 AM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms
NNW 10 to 15 mph
41% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 16 at 12:33PM CDT until April 18 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued April 16 at 12:29PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
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
2 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
38m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Mount Prospect, IL to Chicago, IL covers 24.4 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Kennedy Expressway, North Milwaukee Avenue, East Golf Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.2 miles from Mount Prospect, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.81 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 24.4 miles you will encounter 13 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 (West Central Road): Navigation decision point; at 8.9 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Mount Prospect, IL to Chicago, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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