Origin
Mount Prospect, IL
Late night in Mount Prospect on Friday
Local time
5:56 AM
CDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mount Prospect, IL to Waukegan, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
41m
Distance
29.3 mi
47 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 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mount Prospect, IL
Choco Kitty
Trip Overview
The drive from Mount Prospect, IL to Waukegan, IL covers 29.3 miles and takes about 41m 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, Palatine Road, North Elmhurst Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 17.3 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.58 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 29.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 41m drive with frequent turns across 29.3 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.
Tri-State Tollway is the longest continuous segment at about 17.3 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 near West Central Road.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 29.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Central Road): Navigation decision point; near the start (IL 83 / North Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles (Palatine Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Central Road
Turn left onto West Central Road
Navigation decision point
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
IL 83 / North Main Street
Turn left onto IL 83 / North Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
3.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Palatine Road
Turn right onto Palatine Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
6.7 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Turn sharp left toward I 294 Toll North: Wisconsin
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 294 Toll North: Wisconsin
7
24.4 mi into trip
|
~32m in
Take the exit toward IL 120 East: Belvidere Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 11A
Toward IL 120 East: Belvidere Road
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-State Tollway | 17.3 mi | 20m |
| Palatine Road | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| North Elmhurst Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| Belvidere Road | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Belvidere Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| North Main Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| Willow Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Jackson Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Tri-State Tollway
— 17.3 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mount Prospect, IL and Waukegan, IL.
1
Start on this road
52 ft
·
9 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto West Central Road
177 ft
·
10 sec
·
West Central Road
3
Turn left onto IL 83
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
North Main Street
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on IL 83
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
North Elmhurst Road
Use the right lane.
5
Turn right onto East Frontage Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
East Frontage Road
6
Turn left onto South Wheeling Road
35 ft
·
5 sec
·
South Wheeling Road
7
Turn right onto Palatine Road
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Palatine Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on Willow Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Willow Road
Use the straight lane.
9
Turn sharp left
383 ft
·
11 sec
Toward I 294 Toll North: Wisconsin
Use the left lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Toward I 294 North: Wisconsin
11
Merge onto I 294
17 mi
·
20 min
·
Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Exit 11A
Toward IL 120 East: Belvidere Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn straight onto IL 120
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Belvidere Road
14
Continue on IL 120
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Belvidere Street
15
Turn left onto Glen Rock Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Glen Rock Avenue
Use the left lane.
16
Turn left onto South Jackson Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Jackson Street
17
Arrive at destination
North Jackson Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.58 one way
$9.16 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.03 | $10.06 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.64 | $11.28 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.47 | $12.94 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.04
Tri-state Tollway
(17.3 mi)
$1.04
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$1
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.08 | $1.41 |
| Efficient EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.7 | 0 | $4.10 | $1.88 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Waukegan, IL
Late night in Waukegan on Friday
Local time
5:56 AM
CDT
Current temp
60°F
Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms
SSW 15 mph
48% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 13 at 9:43PM CDT until April 18 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS St Louis MO
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 13 at 9:43PM CDT until April 19 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS St Louis MO
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
10 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
41m 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 Waukegan, IL covers 29.3 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Tri-State Tollway, Palatine Road, North Elmhurst Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.6 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 $4.58 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 short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 29.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Central Road): Navigation decision point; near the start (IL 83 / North Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles (Palatine Road): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Mount Prospect, IL to Waukegan, 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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