Origin
Arlington Heights, IL
Evening in Arlington Heights on Friday
Local time
6:08 PM
CDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arlington Heights, IL to Wilmette, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
14.9 mi
24 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arlington Heights, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Wilmette, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Arlington Heights, IL to Wilmette, IL covers 14.9 miles and takes about 26m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East Golf Road, East Northwest Highway, Gross Point Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.8 miles on East Golf Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.31 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Golf Road | 8.8 mi | 15m |
| East Northwest Highway | 4 mi | 6m |
| Gross Point Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| North Arlington Heights Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Ridge Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| State Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Wilmette Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Euclid Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Golf Road
— 8.8 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arlington Heights, IL and Wilmette, IL.
1
Start on East Euclid Avenue
48 ft
·
5 sec
·
East Euclid Avenue
2
Turn right onto North Arlington Heights Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Arlington Heights Road
3
Turn left onto US 14
4.0 mi
·
6 min
·
East Northwest Highway
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto State Street
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
State Street
Use the left lane.
5
Enter roundabout onto IL 58
160 ft
·
2 sec
·
East Golf Road
6
Continue on IL 58
8.8 mi
·
15 min
·
East Golf Road
Use the left lane.
7
Turn left onto Gross Point Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Gross Point Road
Use the left lane.
8
Continue on Ridge Road
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Ridge Road
9
Turn left onto Wilmette Avenue
65 ft
·
1 sec
·
Wilmette Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
Wilmette Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 14.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 14 / East Northwest Highway
Turn left onto US 14 / East Northwest Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
4.3 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
State Street
Turn left onto State Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
4.5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
IL 58 / East Golf Road
Enter roundabout onto IL 58 / East Golf Road
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
13.3 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
Gross Point Road
Turn left onto Gross Point Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
14.9 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
Wilmette Avenue
Turn left onto Wilmette Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.31 one way
$4.62 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $2.53 | $5.07 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.89 | $5.78 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $3.28 | $6.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.56 | $0.72 |
| Efficient EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.60 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6 | 0 | $2.09 | $0.95 |
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
Wilmette, IL
Evening in Wilmette on Friday
Local time
6:08 PM
CDT
Current temp
64°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
26m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
14.9 mi in 26m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.8 mi on East Golf Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
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 0.4 miles in near US 14 / East Northwest Highway.
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 26m 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 0.4 miles (US 14 / East Northwest Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (State Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (IL 58 / East Golf Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
703 ft
624 ft
Total Climb
49 ft
Total Descent
113 ft
Highest Point
703 ft
Elevation Range
79 ft
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 Wilmette, IL
Full guide →Founded 1872
Wilmette is 16 miles (25 km) north of Chicago. It is part of the affluent corridor of lakefront Chicago suburbs known as the North Shore. It is the location of the world's oldest still-standing Bahá'í House of Worship.
Top landmarks
- • Bahá'í House of Worship for the North American Continent — Bahá'í temple in Wilmette, Illinois, United States
- • Chicago and Northwestern Depot — railway station in Wilmette, the United States of America
- • Frank J. Baker House — house in Wilmette, Illinois, United States
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 26m. Total distance: 14.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.8 miles on East Golf Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.4 miles (US 14 / East Northwest Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (State Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (IL 58 / East Golf Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
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 Wilmette, 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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