Origin
Aurora, IL
Morning in Aurora on Tuesday
Local time
8:44 AM
CDT
Current temp
65°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Aurora, IL to Genoa, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
55m
Distance
41.2 mi
66 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 51m
★
6 AM
0h 56m
8 AM
1h 5m
10 AM
0h 59m
12 PM
0h 58m
3 PM
1h 0m
5 PM
1h 5m
8 PM
0h 53m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Aurora, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Genoa, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Aurora, IL to Genoa, IL is 41.2 miles and takes about 55 minutes via Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, connecting two points in Illinois. Given its duration, it's an ideal drive for a single day, allowing for flexibility in your schedule. The route primarily utilizes tollways before transitioning to surface roads, making it a straightforward and efficient option for local travel.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway | 22.3 mi | 24m |
| North Main Street | 6.6 mi | 9m |
| Peace Road | 5.8 mi | 9m |
| North Lake Street | 2.2 mi | 4m |
| DeKalb Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Sycamore Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Derby Line Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| IL 56 | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
— 22.3 mi, about 24m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Aurora, IL and Genoa, IL.
1
Start on West Galena Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
West Galena Boulevard
2
Turn left onto IL 31
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
North Lake Street
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on South Lincolnway Street
0.4 mi
·
39 sec
·
South Lincolnway Street
4
Take the ramp
387 ft
·
9 sec
Toward I 88 West Toll, IL 56 West Toll: Chicago, Dekalb-Iowa
Use the left lane.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 56
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
IL 56
Toward I 88 West, IL 56 West: DeKalb-Iowa
Use the straight lane.
6
Merge onto I 88; IL 56; IL 110
2.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I 88; IL 110
19 mi
·
20 min
·
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Toward I 88 Toll West, IL 47: DeKalb
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Exit 94
Toward Peace Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto Peace Road
5.8 mi
·
9 min
·
Peace Road
Use the left lane.
10
Turn right onto IL 23
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
DeKalb Avenue
11
Turn left onto IL 23
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
Center Cross Street
12
At end of road, turn right onto IL 64
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West State Street
13
Turn left onto IL 23
6.6 mi
·
9 min
·
North Main Street
14
Turn left onto Derby Line Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Derby Line Road
15
Continue on South Sycamore Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Sycamore Street
16
Turn left onto IL 72
147 ft
·
2 sec
·
West Main Street
17
Arrive at destination
IL 72
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 41 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.6 miles from Aurora, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 25.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
IL 31 / North Lake Street
Turn left onto IL 31 / North Lake Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
2.6 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward I 88 West Toll, IL 56 West Toll: Chicago, Dekalb-Iowa
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I 88 West Toll, IL 56 West Toll: Chicago...
8
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
IL 56
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 56 toward I 88 West, IL 56 West: DeKalb-Iowa
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 88 West, IL 56 West: DeKalb-Iowa
6
6.1 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
I 88; IL 110 / Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 88; IL 110 / Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway toward I 88 Toll West, IL 47: DeKalb
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 88 Toll West, IL 47: DeKalb
7
25.5 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward Peace Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 94
Toward Peace Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.44 one way
$12.88 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $7.07 | $14.14 |
| premium | $4.89 | $7.93 | $15.86 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.10 | $18.19 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.34
Reagan Memorial Tollway
(22.3 mi)
$1.34
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Tolls
$1
Total
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.4 | 0 | $4.33 | $1.98 |
| Efficient EV | 10.3 | 0 | $3.61 | $1.65 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.5 | 0 | $5.77 | $2.64 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% 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
Genoa, IL
Morning in Genoa on Tuesday
Local time
8:44 AM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
45°F
Cortland, IL
21 mi in
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
3 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
55m 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?
Your drive will primarily use the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway for a significant stretch, covering 22.3 miles of highway. After that, you'll transition to surface roads like North Main Street and Peace Road. This means you'll experience a shift from highway cruising to navigating local streets. Expect a relatively straightforward drive with few complex merges, given the profile is mostly surface roads after the initial highway segment.
Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.3 mi on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near IL 31 / North Lake Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 41.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 55m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (IL 31 / North Lake Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.7 miles (IL 56): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Aurora, IL to Genoa, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Dekalb-Iowa along the way.
Dekalb-Iowa
2.6 mi in
|
~4m
About the Cities
Starting in Aurora, IL
Full guide →Founded 1835
Aurora is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, located about 35 miles west of Chicago. It's at the very edge of Chicagoland and, situated on the Fox River, has many opportunities for urban, suburban, and rural recreation. Often overlooked, Aurora in fact has many surprisingly interesting attractions and a downtown unlike that of a typical suburb. It is probably best known for being the setting of the "Wayne's World" movies.
Top landmarks
- • Aurora University — private university in Aurora, Illinois, U.S
- • Hotel Arthur — United States historic place
- • Graham Building — historic building in Aurora, 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 55m. Total distance: 41.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
55m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 22.3 miles on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.34 in tolls one way, starting with Reagan Memorial Tollway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Genoa, 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 0.1 miles (IL 31 / North Lake Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.7 miles (IL 56): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Genoa, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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