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Trip from Aurora, IL to Sycamore, 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

43m

Distance

33.2 mi

53 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 40m ★
6 AM
0h 44m
8 AM
0h 51m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m

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

Aurora, IL

Wikimedia Commons

city in Illinois, United States

Sycamore, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Aurora, IL to Sycamore, IL covers 33.2 miles and takes about 43m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, Peace Road, North Lake Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 22.3 miles on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.15 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway 22.3 mi 24m
Peace Road 5.8 mi 9m
North Lake Street 2.2 mi 4m
DeKalb Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
IL 56 0.6 mi 1m
West State Street 0.4 mi <1m
South Lincolnway Street 0.4 mi <1m
Center Cross Street 0.3 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 Sycamore, 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

0.4 mi · 46 sec · West State Street
13

Arrive at destination

IL 64

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 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

$5.15 one way

$10.29 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $5.64 $11.29
premium $4.93 $6.44 $12.88
diesel $5.60 $7.32 $14.64

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

$5

Tolls

$1

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10 0 $3.49 $1.59
Efficient EV 8.3 0 $2.91 $1.33
EV Truck/SUV 13.3 0 $4.65 $2.12

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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 Aug 29, 2026

Origin

Aurora, IL

Morning in Aurora on Friday

Local time

6:27 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°F

Occasional Rain Showers then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SSE 10 mph 21% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Sycamore, IL

Morning in Sycamore on Friday

Local time

6:27 AM

CDT

Current temp

67°F

Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

S 10 mph 25% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis 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

1 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

43m 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?

33.2 mi in 43m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 2% 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: 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 10 decision points packed into just 33.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.

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.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

904 ft 676 ft

Total Climb

230 ft

Total Descent

32 ft

Highest Point

904 ft

~28.5 mi in

Elevation Range

229 ft

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 Sycamore, 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

Arriving in Sycamore, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1835

Sycamore is a city in the Kishwaukee Valley, located in Northern Illinois with a population of about 17,188.

Top landmarks

  • • DeKalb County Courthouse — local government building in the United States
  • • Sycamore Historic District — historic district in Sycamore, Illinois
  • • Chicago and Northwestern Depot — railway station in Sycamore, the United States of America

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 43m. Total distance: 33.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

43m 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 Sycamore, 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 Sycamore, 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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