Origin
Northfield, IL
Afternoon in Northfield on Saturday
Local time
2:38 PM
CDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Northfield, IL to Arlington Heights, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
12.1 mi
19 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 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Northfield, IL
Stéphane Tendon
Arlington Heights, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Northfield, IL to Arlington Heights, IL covers 12.1 miles and takes about 22m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Willow Road, Palatine Road, North Arlington Heights Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.4 miles on Willow Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.89 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Willow Road | 5.4 mi | 9m |
| Palatine Road | 5 mi | 7m |
| North Arlington Heights Road | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| Wagner Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bosworth Lane | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Euclid Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Willow Road
— 5.4 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Northfield, IL and Arlington Heights, IL.
1
Start on Bosworth Lane
79 ft
·
8 sec
·
Bosworth Lane
2
Turn left onto Wagner Road
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Wagner Road
3
Turn left onto Willow Road
5.4 mi
·
9 min
·
Willow Road
Use the right lane.
4
Continue on Palatine Road
5.0 mi
·
7 min
·
Palatine Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Turn left onto North Arlington Heights Road
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Arlington Heights Road
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right onto East Euclid Avenue
48 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Euclid Avenue
7
Arrive at destination
East Euclid Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 12.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Wagner Road
Turn left onto Wagner Road
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Willow Road
Turn left onto Willow Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
10.6 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
North Arlington Heights Road
Turn left onto North Arlington Heights Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
12.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
East Euclid Avenue
Turn right onto East Euclid Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.89 one way
$3.78 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.08 | $4.15 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.33 | $4.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.67 | $5.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.27 | $0.58 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.06 | $0.48 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.69 | $0.77 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Arlington Heights, IL
Afternoon in Arlington Heights on Saturday
Local time
2:38 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
13 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
22m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
12.1 mi in 22m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.4 mi on Willow Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
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 early in the drive near Wagner Road.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 22m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Wagner Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Willow Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.6 miles (North Arlington Heights Road): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Northfield, IL
Full guide →Northfield is a city in The suburbs of Chicago Illinois It is about 20 miles North of the city of Chicago. The Population is around 5500 people. The city is primarily a residential village, with a small section of commercial real-estate.
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 22m. Total distance: 12.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m 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
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.4 miles on Willow Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Wagner Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Willow Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.6 miles (North Arlington Heights Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Pullman National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Arlington Heights, IL before heading back.
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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