Origin
Buffalo Grove, IL
Late night in Buffalo Grove on Sunday
Local time
1:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
42°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Buffalo Grove, IL to Crystal Lake, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
21.2 mi
34 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Buffalo Grove, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Crystal Lake, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Buffalo Grove to Crystal Lake is 21.2 miles and takes about 34 minutes via South Northwest Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically connecting two Illinois communities. It's a straightforward drive, mostly on surface roads, making it ideal for a quick errand or a simple connection between towns. You won't encounter major highway segments, so expect a more local feel throughout the drive.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Northwest Highway | 6.2 mi | 10m |
| State Route 22 | 4.9 mi | 7m |
| North Rand Road | 4.4 mi | 5m |
| Lake Cook Road | 4 mi | 6m |
| South Main Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| West Main Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| South Buffalo Grove Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Aptakisic Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South Northwest Highway
— 6.2 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Buffalo Grove, IL and Crystal Lake, IL.
1
Start on Aptakisic Road
60 ft
·
5 sec
·
Aptakisic Road
2
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
·
South Buffalo Grove Road
3
Turn left onto Lake Cook Road
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Lake Cook Road
Use the left lane.
4
Keep slight left at fork onto Lake Cook Road
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Lake Cook Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on US 12
4.4 mi
·
5 min
·
North Rand Road
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto IL 22
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
·
West Main Street
Use the left lane.
7
Continue on IL 22
4.9 mi
·
7 min
·
State Route 22
8
At end of road, turn right onto US 14
6.2 mi
·
10 min
·
South Northwest Highway
9
Turn right onto South Main Street
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Main Street
Use the right lane.
10
Turn left onto East Crystal Lake Avenue
25 ft
·
0 sec
·
East Crystal Lake Avenue
11
Arrive at destination
East Crystal Lake Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 20.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Buffalo Grove Road
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
Navigation decision point
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Lake Cook Road
Turn left onto Lake Cook Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
3.1 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Lake Cook Road
Keep slight left at fork onto Lake Cook Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
8.6 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
IL 22 / West Main Street
Turn left onto IL 22 / West Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
20.2 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
South Main Street
Turn right onto South Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.23 one way
$6.47 round trip
$3.88/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.27 | $3.56 | $7.12 |
| premium | $4.81 | $4.01 | $8.02 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $4.51 | $9.02 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
| Efficient EV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.85 | $0.85 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.97 | $1.36 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Crystal Lake, IL
Late night in Crystal Lake on Sunday
Local time
1:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
43°F
Partly Cloudy then Areas Of Fog
ENE 5 to 10 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:27PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:27PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
34m 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 drive is primarily on surface roads, with only about 23% of the route on highways. You'll experience a longest stretch of 6.2 miles on South Northwest Highway before transitioning to other main roads like State Route 22 and North Rand Road. Expect to navigate through local traffic and intersections for most of this trip, rather than sustained highway cruising.
Only 23% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.2 mi on South Northwest Highway.
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 early in the drive near South Buffalo Grove Road.
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 21.2 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: near the start (South Buffalo Grove Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Lake Cook Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (Lake Cook Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Buffalo Grove, IL
Full guide →Founded 1958
Buffalo Grove is a village in Chicagoland, in both Lake and Cook counties, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
Arriving in Crystal Lake, IL
Full guide →Crystal Lake is a city of 40,000 people in Northern Illinois. It has a revitalized historic downtown district, which is home to many small specialty shops and businesses, and is a local shopping district.
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 34m. Total distance: 21.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m 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 6.2 miles on South Northwest Highway. 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 Crystal Lake, 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: near the start (South Buffalo Grove Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Lake Cook Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (Lake Cook Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Crystal Lake, 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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