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Trip from Waukegan, IL to Fairfield, IL

Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026

Drive Time

34m

Distance

20.3 mi

33 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 31m ★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 33m

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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Downtown Fairfield, IL, IL

Fairfield, IL

Choco Kitty

Trip Overview

The drive from Waukegan, IL to Fairfield, IL covers 20.3 miles and takes about 34m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Belvidere Road, Ivanhoe Road, North Gilmer Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.3 miles on Belvidere Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.17 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 34m. Total distance: 20.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

34m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (8%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 34m drive with frequent turns across 20.3 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Belvidere Road is the longest continuous segment at about 6.3 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

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 around 9.9 miles in near South Atkinson 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 34m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 9.9 miles (South Atkinson Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.4 miles (IL 176): Lane positioning matters here; at 16 miles (V76 / North Gilmer Road): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 7 key points

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

5
9.9 mi into trip | ~16m in | South Atkinson Road

Turn left onto South Atkinson Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
14.4 mi into trip | ~24m in | IL 176

Turn right onto IL 176

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
16 mi into trip | ~26m in | V76 / North Gilmer Road

Turn left onto V76 / North Gilmer Road

Navigation decision point

4
18.5 mi into trip | ~31m in | IL 63 / North Midlothian Road

Turn right onto IL 63 / North Midlothian Road

Navigation decision point

4
20 mi into trip | ~33m in | V77 / Old McHenry Road

Turn left onto V77 / Old McHenry Road

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Belvidere Road 6.3 mi 9m
Ivanhoe Road 3.7 mi 6m
North Gilmer Road 2.5 mi 4m
IL 176 1.7 mi 2m
Belvidere Street 1.6 mi 3m
North Midlothian Road 1.5 mi 2m
East Belvidere Road 1 mi 1m
South Atkinson Road 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Belvidere Road — 6.3 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Waukegan, IL and Fairfield, IL.

1

Start on North Jackson Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · North Jackson Street
2

Turn right onto Glen Rock Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Glen Rock Avenue
3

Turn right onto Belvidere Street

1.6 mi · 3 min · Belvidere Street
4

Continue on IL 120

6.3 mi · 9 min · Belvidere Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Continue on IL 120

1.0 mi · 1 min · East Belvidere Road
6

Turn left onto South Atkinson Road

0.5 mi · 58 sec · South Atkinson Road
Use the left lane.
7

Continue on IL 83

3.7 mi · 6 min · Ivanhoe Road
8

Continue on Schank Avenue

0.2 mi · 24 sec · Schank Avenue
9

Turn right onto IL 176

1.7 mi · 2 min · IL 176
Use the left lane.
10

Turn left onto V76

2.5 mi · 4 min · North Gilmer Road
11

Turn right onto IL 63

1.5 mi · 2 min · North Midlothian Road
12

Turn left onto V77

0.3 mi · 29 sec · Old McHenry Road
13

Arrive at destination

V77

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.17 one way

$6.35 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.48 $6.97
premium $4.89 $3.91 $7.81
diesel $5.61 $4.48 $8.96

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.1 0 $2.13 $0.97
Efficient EV 5.1 0 $1.78 $0.81
EV Truck/SUV 8.1 0 $2.84 $1.30

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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 16, 2026

Origin

Waukegan, IL

Evening in Waukegan on Thursday

Local time

6:52 PM

CDT

Current temp

66°F

Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms

N 10 mph 39% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 12:33PM CDT until April 18 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued April 16 at 12:29PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Fairfield, IL

Evening in Fairfield on Thursday

Local time

6:52 PM

CDT

Current temp

46°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

20 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

34m 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 Waukegan, IL to Fairfield, IL covers 20.3 miles and takes about 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Belvidere Road, Ivanhoe Road, North Gilmer Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.2 miles from Waukegan, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.17 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 straightforward 34m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 9.9 miles (South Atkinson Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.4 miles (IL 176): Lane positioning matters here; at 16 miles (V76 / North Gilmer Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Waukegan, IL to Fairfield, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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