Origin
Chicago, IL
Late night in Chicago on Tuesday
Local time
5:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Chicago, IL to Skokie, 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
25m
Distance
16.1 mi
26 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 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Skokie, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Chicago, IL to Skokie, IL is 16.1 miles and takes about 25m via Kennedy Expressway and Edens Expressway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically Illinois, making it a straightforward hop between urban areas. You'll primarily be on major expressways, so expect typical city traffic patterns. It's a quick drive, easily manageable in a single day, perfect for a quick errand or a visit to a nearby suburb without a major time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Expressway | 8.2 mi | 11m |
| Edens Expressway | 3.3 mi | 3m |
| Skokie Boulevard | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Dan Ryan Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North Cicero Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| West Cermak Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Canalport Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Kennedy Expressway
— 8.2 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Chicago, IL and Skokie, IL.
1
Start on this road
0.2 mi
·
1 min
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
West Cermak Road
3
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
South Halsted Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
5
Turn left onto South Ruble Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
South Ruble Street
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward I 90 West, I 94 West
7
Merge onto I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on I 90; I 94
8.2 mi
·
11 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 94
3.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Edens Expressway
Toward I 94 West: Milwaukee
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 39B
Toward Touhy Avenue East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
At end of road, turn left onto IL 50
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
·
North Cicero Avenue
12
Continue on IL 50
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Skokie Boulevard
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto Main Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
14
Arrive at destination
Main Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 13.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Cermak Road
At end of road, turn right onto West Cermak Road
Navigation decision point
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
South Halsted Street
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
South Ruble Street
Turn left onto South Ruble Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
1.1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 90; I 94 / Dan Ryan Expressway
Merge onto I 90; I 94 / Dan Ryan Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.5 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the exit toward Touhy Avenue East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 39B
Toward Touhy Avenue East
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.52 one way
$5.03 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.76 | $5.53 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.10 | $6.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.55 | $7.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.69 | $0.77 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.41 | $0.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.25 | $1.03 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
Skokie, IL
Late night in Skokie on Tuesday
Local time
5:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
60°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
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
25m 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?
This drive is mostly highway, with 77% of the 16.1 miles on expressways. You'll encounter an 8.2-mile stretch on the Kennedy Expressway before transitioning. The latter part of the route will involve surface streets, likely with more frequent intersections as you approach Skokie. Expect urban merging and dense exit activity for most of the drive.
77% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.2 mi on Kennedy Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Kennedy Expressway and Edens Expressway. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near West Cermak 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 16.1 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.2 miles (West Cermak Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (South Halsted Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (South Ruble Street): Lane positioning matters here.
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 Chicago, IL to Skokie, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Touhy Avenue East along the way.
Touhy Avenue East
13.5 mi in
|
~20m
About the Cities
Starting in Chicago, IL
Full guide →Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.
Top landmarks
- • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
- • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
- • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs
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 25m. Total distance: 16.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (77%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.2 miles on Kennedy Expressway. 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 Skokie, 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 0.2 miles (West Cermak Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (South Halsted Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles (South Ruble Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Skokie, 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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