Origin
Carpentersville, IL
Night in Carpentersville on Saturday
Local time
11:51 PM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carpentersville, IL to Waukegan, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h
Distance
36.5 mi
59 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 55m
★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 10m
10 AM
1h 4m
12 PM
1h 3m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carpentersville, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to travel from Carpentersville to Waukegan, you are in for a straightforward 36.5-mile journey across the Illinois landscape. Expect to spend about one hour behind the wheel as you navigate a combination of North Hough Road, Belvidere Road, and IL 68. This trip is perfectly suited as a simple one-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You can budget roughly $6 for fuel, making this an incredibly cost-effective commute within the Midwest. Because the route remains entirely within the state of Illinois, you will find the navigation consistent and easy to follow. It is a practical, no-fuss drive that gets you from point A to point B without any necessary stops.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Hough Road | 6.4 mi | 10m |
| Belvidere Road | 6.3 mi | 9m |
| IL 68 | 4.2 mi | 6m |
| Ivanhoe Road | 3.7 mi | 6m |
| West Liberty Street | 3.4 mi | 6m |
| IL 176 | 2 mi | 2m |
| New Sutton Road | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Belvidere Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
Longest stretch:
North Hough Road
— 6.4 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carpentersville, IL and Waukegan, IL.
1
Start on IL 25
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
North Kennedy Drive
2
Turn left onto IL 68
4.2 mi
·
6 min
·
IL 68
3
Continue on IL 59; IL 68
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Dundee Road
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on IL 59
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
New Sutton Road
5
Continue on South Hough Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Hough Street
6
Continue on IL 59
6.4 mi
·
10 min
·
North Hough Road
Use the right lane.
7
Continue on Barrington Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Barrington Road
8
Turn right onto IL 176
3.4 mi
·
6 min
·
West Liberty Street
9
Turn right onto IL 176
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
IL 176
Use the left lane.
10
Continue on IL 176
152 ft
·
3 sec
·
IL 176
11
Turn left onto Schank Avenue
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Schank Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on IL 83
3.7 mi
·
6 min
·
Ivanhoe Road
13
Continue on South Atkinson Road
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
South Atkinson Road
14
Turn right onto IL 120
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
East Belvidere Road
15
Continue on IL 120
6.3 mi
·
9 min
·
Belvidere Road
Use the left lane.
16
Continue on IL 120
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Belvidere Street
17
Turn left onto Glen Rock Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Glen Rock Avenue
Use the left lane.
18
Turn left onto South Jackson Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Jackson Street
19
Arrive at destination
North Jackson Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 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 36.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.2 miles from Carpentersville, 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 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 35.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
IL 68
Turn left onto IL 68
Navigation decision point
3
16.7 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
IL 176 / West Liberty Street
Turn right onto IL 176 / West Liberty Street
Navigation decision point
5
20.1 mi into trip
|
~33m in
|
IL 176
Turn right onto IL 176
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
22.1 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
Schank Avenue
Turn left onto Schank Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
35.5 mi into trip
|
~57m in
|
Glen Rock Avenue
Turn left onto Glen Rock Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.71 one way
$11.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $6.27 | $12.53 |
| premium | $4.89 | $7.02 | $14.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.06 | $16.12 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11 | 0 | $3.83 | $1.75 |
| Efficient EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.19 | $1.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.6 | 0 | $5.11 | $2.34 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Waukegan, IL
Night in Waukegan on Saturday
Local time
11:51 PM
CDT
Current temp
56°F
Showers And Thunderstorms
NNW 10 mph
79% chance
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
6 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
1h 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate haul on this 36.5-mile route. Only about 17% of your travel occurs on highways, keeping the pace steady but localized. You will encounter your longest uninterrupted stretch of 6.4 miles while navigating North Hough Road. As you transition between the various local roads, the drive demands more attention than a straight highway shot. You should prepare for a rhythm defined by frequent turns and changing road segments throughout the hour-long trip.
Only 17% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.4 mi on North Hough 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 1.2 miles in near IL 68.
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 1h 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 1.2 miles (IL 68): Navigation decision point; at 16.7 miles (IL 176 / West Liberty Street): Navigation decision point; at 20.1 miles (IL 176): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Waukegan, IL
Full guide →Waukegan is in the Far North Suburbs of the Chicagoland region of Illinois. It sits on Lake Michigan, has a large harbor, and is the county seat of Lake County, 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 1h. Total distance: 36.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (17%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.4 miles on North Hough 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 1.2 miles (IL 68): Navigation decision point; at 16.7 miles (IL 176 / West Liberty Street): Navigation decision point; at 20.1 miles (IL 176): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Waukegan, 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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