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Trip from Aurora, IL to Kingston, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

57m

Distance

43.2 mi

70 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 53m ★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 7m
10 AM
1h 1m
12 PM
1h 0m
3 PM
1h 1m
5 PM
1h 6m
8 PM
0h 55m

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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city on tripoints of DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties in Illinois, United States

Aurora, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Kingston, IL, IL

Kingston, IL

Stéphane Tendon

Trip Overview

Aurora, IL to Kingston, IL is 43.2 miles and takes about 57 minutes via Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within the Midwest region, specifically Illinois, offering a straightforward trip. It's a short, local-feeling journey that can easily be completed in a single day. Given the short duration, it’s ideal for a quick excursion or a component of a larger Midwest road trip.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway 25 mi 27m
Glidden Road 9.7 mi 14m
South Annie Glidden Road 3.4 mi 6m
North Lake Street 2.2 mi 4m
IL 72 1.3 mi 2m
IL 56 0.6 mi 1m
South Lincolnway Street 0.4 mi <1m
West Galena Boulevard 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway — 25 mi, about 27m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Aurora, IL and Kingston, 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

22 mi · 23 min · Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Toward I 88 Toll West, IL 47: DeKalb Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 58 sec
Toward DeKalb, Annie Glidden Road
9

Continue on South Annie Glidden Road

3.4 mi · 6 min · South Annie Glidden Road
10

Continue on CH 5

9.7 mi · 14 min · Glidden Road
11

Turn right onto IL 72

1.3 mi · 2 min · IL 72
12

Turn right onto Main Street

69 ft · 3 sec · Main Street
13

Arrive at destination

Main Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

village in Kane County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Big Rock, IL

22 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

North Aurora, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Cortland, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.6 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 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 28.3 — 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
8
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. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 88 Toll West, IL 47: DeKalb
5
28.3 mi into trip | ~33m in

Take the exit toward DeKalb, Annie Glidden Road

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

Toward DeKalb, Annie Glidden Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.75 one way

$13.51 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $7.42 $14.83
premium $4.89 $8.31 $16.63
diesel $5.61 $9.54 $19.08

Estimated Tolls: $1.51

Reagan Memorial Tollway (25 mi) $1.51

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Tolls

$2

Total

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13 0 $4.54 $2.07
Efficient EV 10.8 0 $3.78 $1.73
EV Truck/SUV 17.3 0 $6.05 $2.76

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (67% 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 18, 2026

Origin

Aurora, IL

Morning in Aurora on Tuesday

Local time

11:57 AM

CDT

Current temp

42°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

W 15 to 20 mph 43% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 4:02AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 3:59AM CDT until April 18 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Kingston, IL

Morning in Kingston on Tuesday

Local time

11:57 AM

CDT

Current temp

44°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

2 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

57m 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?

This route is characterized by a turn-heavy local drive, with a highway share of just 25%. While you’ll experience a 25-mile stretch on the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, much of the journey involves navigating local roads. Expect a mix of faster highway segments and more winding, potentially slower, local road driving as you approach your destination. The landscape is likely to shift from more urban-adjacent areas to the more rural feel typical of the Midwest.

Only 4% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 25 mi on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near IL 31 / North Lake 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 43.2 miles you will encounter 8 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 (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.

Between Aurora, IL and Kingston, IL, road signs point toward Dekalb-Iowa and Dekalb.

Dekalb-Iowa

2.6 mi in | ~4m

Dekalb

28.3 mi in | ~33m

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 57m. Total distance: 43.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

57m 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 25 miles on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.51 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 Kingston, 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 Kingston, 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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