Origin
Schaumburg, IL
Evening in Schaumburg on Friday
Local time
8:02 PM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Schaumburg, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
24m
Distance
14.7 mi
24 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 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Schaumburg, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Buffalo Grove, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Schaumburg, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL covers 14.7 miles and takes about 24m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on IL 53, West Higgins Road, Lake Cook Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.2 miles on IL 53. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.30 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Schaumburg, IL
Full guide →Schaumburg is a city in Chicagoland, best known for its ever popular Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in Illinois. Its name is derived from a place in Germany.
Arriving in Buffalo Grove, IL
Full guide →Buffalo Grove is a village in Chicagoland, in both Lake and Cook counties, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
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 24m. Total distance: 14.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (51%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Schaumburg, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL covers 14.7 miles and takes about 24m, 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 15 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 7.2 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 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near West Thacker Street.
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 14.7 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.1 miles (West Thacker Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.6 miles (East Frontage Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Thacker Street
Turn right onto West Thacker Street
Navigation decision point
6
3.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
East Frontage Road
Turn left onto East Frontage Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
3.7 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the ramp toward IL 53 North, I 290 West
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward IL 53 North, I 290 West
6
4.2 mi into trip
|
~8m 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.
7
11 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
IL 53
Take the exit onto IL 53 toward IL 53, IL 68: Dundee Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward IL 53, IL 68: Dundee Road
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| IL 53 | 7.2 mi | 9m |
| West Higgins Road | 2.7 mi | 5m |
| Lake Cook Road | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| North Arlington Heights Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| West Dundee Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| North Roselle Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| I 290 | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Buffalo Grove Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
IL 53
— 7.2 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Schaumburg, IL and Buffalo Grove, IL.
1
Start on North Pleasant Drive
426 ft
·
20 sec
·
North Pleasant Drive
2
Turn right onto West Thacker Street
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
·
West Thacker Street
3
Turn left onto North Roselle Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
North Roselle Road
4
Turn right onto IL 72
2.7 mi
·
5 min
·
West Higgins Road
5
Turn left onto East Frontage Road
501 ft
·
10 sec
·
East Frontage Road
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward IL 53 North, I 290 West
7
Merge onto I 290; IL 53
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
·
I 290; IL 53
8
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53
6.9 mi
·
9 min
·
IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit onto IL 53
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
IL 53
Toward IL 53, IL 68: Dundee Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn right onto IL 68
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
West Dundee Road
11
Turn left onto North Arlington Heights Road
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
North Arlington Heights Road
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto Lake Cook Road
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Lake Cook Road
13
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
South Buffalo Grove Road
14
Turn left onto Aptakisic Road
103 ft
·
4 sec
·
Aptakisic Road
15
Arrive at destination
Aptakisic Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.30 one way
$4.60 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.52 | $5.05 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.83 | $5.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.25 | $6.49 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.54 | $0.71 |
| Efficient EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.06 | $0.94 |
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
Buffalo Grove, IL
Evening in Buffalo Grove on Friday
Local time
8:02 PM
CDT
Current temp
66°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
15 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
24m 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 Schaumburg, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL covers 14.7 miles and takes about 24m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are IL 53, West Higgins Road, Lake Cook Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.3 miles from Schaumburg, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.30 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 14.7 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.1 miles (West Thacker Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.6 miles (East Frontage Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from Schaumburg, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Buffalo Grove, IL
Explore more options from Schaumburg, IL or browse trips ending in Buffalo Grove, IL.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.