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Trip from Arlington Heights, IL to Lyons, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

46m

Distance

27.7 mi

45 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 43m ★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 54m
10 AM
0h 49m
12 PM
0h 48m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 54m
8 PM
0h 44m

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

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

Arlington Heights, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Illinois, United States

Lyons, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Arlington Heights, IL to Lyons, IL covers 27.7 miles and takes about 46m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 290, Busse Road, North Arlington Heights Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9.2 miles on I 290. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.29 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 290 9.2 mi 12m
Busse Road 4.1 mi 6m
North Arlington Heights Road 3.1 mi 6m
South Harlem Avenue 2.2 mi 4m
Kingery Highway 2 mi 3m
South 1st Avenue 1.4 mi 2m
East Algonquin Road 1.3 mi 2m
Cermak Road 1.3 mi 2m
Longest stretch: I 290 — 9.2 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Arlington Heights, IL and Lyons, IL.

1

Start on East Euclid Avenue

48 ft · 5 sec · East Euclid Avenue
2

Turn right onto North Arlington Heights Road

3.1 mi · 6 min · North Arlington Heights Road
3

Turn left onto IL 62

1.3 mi · 2 min · East Algonquin Road
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto South Busse Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · South Busse Road
Use the right lane.
5

Continue on IL 83

4.1 mi · 6 min · Busse Road
Use the left lane.
6

Continue on IL 83

2.0 mi · 3 min · Kingery Highway
7

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward US 20, I 290: Lake Street, Rockford, Chicago Use the slight right lane.
8

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 50 sec
Toward US 20, I 290 East: Lake Street, Chicago Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Toward I 290 East: Chicago Use the right lane.
10

Merge onto I 290

9.2 mi · 12 min · I 290
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 19 sec
Exit 20 Toward IL 171: 1st Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Turn slight left onto Bataan Drive

381 ft · 14 sec · Bataan Drive
13

Turn right onto IL 171

1.4 mi · 2 min · South 1st Avenue
Use the right lane.
14

Turn left onto 1st Avenue Cutoff

0.2 mi · 31 sec · 1st Avenue Cutoff
15

Turn straight onto Cermak Road

1.3 mi · 2 min · Cermak Road
Use the left lane.
16

Turn right

221 ft · 9 sec
17

Turn slight right onto IL 43

2.2 mi · 4 min · South Harlem Avenue
18

Turn slight right onto Joliet Road

0.5 mi · 49 sec · Joliet Road
Use the right lane.
19

Continue on 43rd Street

0.3 mi · 27 sec · 43rd Street
20

Continue on 43rd Street

225 ft · 8 sec · 43rd Street
21

Arrive at destination

43rd Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 11.5 and 21.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
11.5 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward US 20, I 290: Lake Street, Rockford, Chicago

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward US 20, I 290: Lake Street, Rockford, Chi...
8
11.6 mi into trip | ~20m in

Keep slight left at fork toward US 20, I 290 East: Lake Street, Chicago

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward US 20, I 290 East: Lake Street, Chicago
7
12 mi into trip | ~21m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 290 East: Chicago

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward I 290 East: Chicago
7
21.4 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward IL 171: 1st Avenue

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 20 Toward IL 171: 1st Avenue
6
21.6 mi into trip | ~35m in | IL 171 / South 1st Avenue

Turn right onto IL 171 / South 1st Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.29 one way

$8.59 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $4.71 $9.42
premium $4.93 $5.37 $10.75
diesel $5.60 $6.11 $12.21

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.3 0 $2.91 $1.33
Efficient EV 6.9 0 $2.42 $1.11
EV Truck/SUV 11.1 0 $3.88 $1.77

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 Sep 1, 2026

Origin

Arlington Heights, IL

Afternoon in Arlington Heights on Friday

Local time

4:54 PM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy

SW 5 to 10 mph 15% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Lyons, IL

Afternoon in Lyons on Friday

Local time

4:54 PM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Mostly Clear

SW 5 to 10 mph 12% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

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

46m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

27.7 mi in 46m — 33% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: I 290.

33% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.2 mi on I 290.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 11.5 miles in.

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 11 decision points packed into just 27.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 46m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 11.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 11.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

703 ft 610 ft

Total Climb

30 ft

Total Descent

115 ft

Highest Point

703 ft

Elevation Range

93 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Arlington Heights, IL and Lyons, IL, road signs point toward Rockford and Chicago.

Rockford

11.5 mi in | ~20m

Chicago

11.5 mi in | ~20m

About the Cities

Starting in Arlington Heights, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1887

Arlington Heights is a city in northeastern Chicagoland. The 2010 Census put the population at 75,101, the largest for a village in the United States. Arlington Heights is known for the Arlington Park Race Track as well as a large Japanese community, third in the state behind neighboring Schaumburg and Chicago proper. Some notable people have come from the village as well, including Walter Payton, Ted Nugent, and Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald's).

Arriving in Lyons, IL

Full guide →

Top landmarks

  • • Chicago Portage National Historic Site — historic site in Lyons, Illinois

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 46m. Total distance: 27.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

46m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (33%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 9.2 miles on I 290. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Lyons, IL before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

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: at 11.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 11.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 Lyons, IL before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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