Origin
Prospect Heights, IL
Late night in Prospect Heights on Friday
Local time
5:31 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Prospect Heights, IL to Schaumburg, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
13.2 mi
21 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great 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 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Prospect Heights, IL
Mike Tyurin
Schaumburg, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Prospect Heights, IL to Schaumburg, IL covers 13.2 miles and takes about 21m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on IL 53, East Rand Road, East Higgins Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.4 miles on IL 53. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.06 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 21m. Total distance: 13.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (41%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Prospect Heights, IL to Schaumburg, IL covers 13.2 miles and takes about 21m, 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 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
IL 53 is the longest continuous segment at about 5.4 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 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.9 miles in near US 12 / East Rand 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 13.2 miles you will encounter 8 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: at 0.9 miles (US 12 / East Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 4 miles (IL 53): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.9 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 12 / East Rand Road
Turn right onto US 12 / East Rand Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
3.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward IL 53 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward IL 53 South
5
4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
IL 53
Merge onto IL 53
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
7.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
IL 53
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53 toward I 290 East: Chicago, Biesterfield Road
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 East: Chicago, Biesterfield Road
7
9.4 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward IL 72: Higgins Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 1B
Toward IL 72: Higgins Road
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| IL 53 | 5.4 mi | 7m |
| East Rand Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| East Higgins Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Palatine Road | 1.4 mi | 1m |
| West Higgins Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| West Camp McDonald Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North Roselle Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West Thacker Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
IL 53
— 5.4 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Prospect Heights, IL and Schaumburg, IL.
1
Start on West Camp McDonald Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Camp McDonald Road
2
Turn right onto US 12
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
East Rand Road
Use the right lane.
3
Turn left onto Palatine Road
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Palatine Road
4
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Toward IL 53 South
5
Merge onto IL 53
3.2 mi
·
4 min
·
IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
IL 53
Toward I 290 East: Chicago, Biesterfield Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 1B
Toward IL 72: Higgins Road
Use the slight right lane.
8
Turn straight onto West Frontage Road
411 ft
·
11 sec
·
West Frontage Road
9
Turn right onto IL 72
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
East Higgins Road
Use the left lane.
10
Continue on IL 72
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West Higgins Road
11
Turn left onto North Roselle Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
North Roselle Road
12
Turn right onto West Thacker Street
0.1 mi
·
36 sec
·
West Thacker Street
13
Turn left onto North Pleasant Drive
426 ft
·
18 sec
·
North Pleasant Drive
14
Arrive at destination
North Pleasant Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.06 one way
$4.13 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.27 | $4.53 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.91 | $5.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.6 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 | 0 | $1.39 | $0.63 |
| Efficient EV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.15 | $0.53 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.85 | $0.84 |
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
Schaumburg, IL
Late night in Schaumburg on Friday
Local time
5:31 AM
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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
21m 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 Prospect Heights, IL to Schaumburg, IL covers 13.2 miles and takes about 21m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are IL 53, East Rand Road, East Higgins Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.6 miles from Prospect Heights, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.06 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 13.2 miles you will encounter 8 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: at 0.9 miles (US 12 / East Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 4 miles (IL 53): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Prospect Heights, IL to Schaumburg, 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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