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Trip from Oak Park, IL to Palatine, IL

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

40m

Distance

27.1 mi

44 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 37m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 39m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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village in Cook County, Illinois, United States; suburb of Chicago, Illinois

Oak Park, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Palatine, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Oak Park, IL to Palatine, IL covers 27.1 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 290, Eisenhower Expressway, IL 53 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.4 miles on I 290. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.24 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 27.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

40m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (83%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 40m highway drive covering 27.1 miles, with most of the trip on I 290 and Eisenhower Expressway. The longest continuous stretch is about 15.4 miles on I 290.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 290 is the longest continuous segment at about 15.4 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 290 and Eisenhower Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.3 miles in near IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 27.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.3 miles (IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 7 miles (I 290): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 10 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

6
1.3 mi into trip | ~3m in | IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue

Turn left onto IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
1.8 mi into trip | ~5m in

Take the ramp toward I 290 West

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward I 290 West
8
7 mi into trip | ~12m in | I 290

Keep slight right at fork onto I 290 toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford, Milwaukee

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford,...
6
22.5 mi into trip | ~32m in | IL 53

Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
24.7 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit toward Kirchoff Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward Kirchoff Road

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Oak Park, IL to Palatine, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Milwaukee along the way.

Milwaukee

7 mi in | ~12m | via I 290

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 290 15.4 mi 20m
Eisenhower Expressway 5 mi 6m
IL 53 2.2 mi 2m
Hicks Road 1.5 mi 3m
Washington Boulevard 1 mi 2m
South Harlem Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
East Northwest Highway 0.3 mi <1m
South Ridgeland Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 290 — 15.4 mi, about 20m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Oak Park, IL and Palatine, IL.

1

Start on South Ridgeland Avenue

0.2 mi · 38 sec · South Ridgeland Avenue
2

Turn right onto Washington Boulevard

1.0 mi · 2 min · Washington Boulevard
3

Turn left onto IL 43

0.5 mi · 1 min · South Harlem Avenue
Use the left lane.
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward I 290 West Use the right lane.
5

Merge onto I 290; IL 110

5.0 mi · 6 min · Eisenhower Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Keep slight right at fork onto I 290

15 mi · 20 min · I 290
Toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford, Milwaukee Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53

2.2 mi · 2 min · IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 50 sec
Toward Kirchoff Road Use the right lane.
9

Turn left onto Kirchoff Road

0.2 mi · 25 sec · Kirchoff Road
10

Turn right onto West Frontage Road

400 ft · 8 sec · West Frontage Road
11

Continue on Hicks Road

1.5 mi · 3 min · Hicks Road
12

Turn left onto US 14

0.3 mi · 54 sec · East Northwest Highway
13

Turn left onto East Palatine Road

73 ft · 1 sec · East Palatine Road
Use the left lane.
14

Arrive at destination

East Palatine Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.24 one way

$8.47 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $4.65 $9.30
premium $4.89 $5.22 $10.43
diesel $5.61 $5.98 $11.97

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.5 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 8.1 0 $2.85 $1.30
Efficient EV 6.8 0 $2.37 $1.08
EV Truck/SUV 10.8 0 $3.79 $1.73

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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Oak Park, IL

Late night in Oak Park on Friday

Local time

3:20 AM

CDT

Current temp

46°F

Widespread Fog

ESE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 10:12PM CDT by NWS St Louis MO

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 10:12PM CDT by NWS St Louis MO

Destination

Palatine, IL

Late night in Palatine on Friday

Local time

3:20 AM

CDT

Current temp

50°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

4 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

40m 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 Oak Park, IL to Palatine, IL covers 27.1 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 290, Eisenhower Expressway, IL 53. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 13.6 miles from Oak Park, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.24 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 10 decision points packed into just 27.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.3 miles (IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 7 miles (I 290): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

On the drive from Oak Park, IL to Palatine, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Milwaukee along the way.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.

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. National park proximity is from the NPS API. 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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