Origin
Des Plaines, IL
Late night in Des Plaines on Friday
Local time
5:23 AM
CDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Grayslake, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
41m
Distance
25.4 mi
41 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Grayslake, IL
Mike Tyurin
Trip Overview
The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Grayslake, IL covers 25.4 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Milwaukee Avenue, South Des Plaines River Road, South Milwaukee Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.5 miles on North Milwaukee Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.94 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Milwaukee Avenue | 8.5 mi | 14m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 5 mi | 8m |
| South Milwaukee Avenue | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| Antioch Road | 2.7 mi | 4m |
| Milwaukee Avenue | 2.7 mi | 4m |
| Peterson Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| South Barron Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Center Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
North Milwaukee Avenue
— 8.5 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Grayslake, IL.
1
Start on Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Henry Avenue
2
Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road
5.0 mi
·
8 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
Use the left lane.
3
At end of road, turn left onto US 45; IL 21
2.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Milwaukee Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Continue on US 45; IL 21
8.5 mi
·
14 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Continue on IL 21
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
South Milwaukee Avenue
6
Turn left onto IL 137
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Peterson Road
Use the left lane.
7
Continue on IL 137
0.2 mi
·
14 sec
·
Old Peterson Road
8
Continue on IL 137
2.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Antioch Road
9
Continue on IL 83
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Ivanhoe Road
10
Continue on IL 83
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Barron Boulevard
11
Turn left onto Center Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Center Street
12
Arrive at destination
Center Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 24.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Des Plaines River Road
Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
5.1 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
US 45; IL 21 / Milwaukee Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto US 45; IL 21 / Milwaukee Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
19.7 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
IL 137 / Peterson Road
Turn left onto IL 137 / Peterson Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
24.9 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
Center Street
Turn left onto Center Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.94 one way
$7.88 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $4.32 | $8.64 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.93 | $9.86 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $5.60 | $11.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 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 | 7.6 | 0 | $2.67 | $1.22 |
| Efficient EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.22 | $1.02 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.56 | $1.63 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Grayslake, IL
Late night in Grayslake on Friday
Local time
5:23 AM
CDT
Current temp
67°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
3 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
41m 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?
25.4 mi in 41m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.5 mi on North Milwaukee Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
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 0.1 miles in near South Des Plaines River Road.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 41m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.1 miles (US 45; IL 21 / Milwaukee Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 19.7 miles (IL 137 / Peterson Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
815 ft
632 ft
Total Climb
193 ft
Total Descent
39 ft
Highest Point
815 ft
~23.5 mi in
Elevation Range
183 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Des Plaines, IL
Full guide →Founded 1852
Des Plaines is in Chicagoland. It is an inner-ring, northwest suburb of Chicago with two distinct portions: a suburban northern portion reminiscient of other, nearby northwest suburbs (including Niles, Park Ridge, and Mount Prospect), as well as a built-up southern portion with the businesses, hotels, and other amenities of the O'Hare Airport corridor (much like Rosemont, Chicago's O'Hare neighborhood, and Elk Grove Village).
Top landmarks
- • McDonald's #1 Store Museum — former McDonald's spot
Arriving in Grayslake, IL
Full guide →Founded 1840
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 41m. Total distance: 25.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.5 miles on North Milwaukee Avenue. 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 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.1 miles (US 45; IL 21 / Milwaukee Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 19.7 miles (IL 137 / Peterson Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Grayslake, 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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