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Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Palos Park, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

44m

Distance

31.5 mi

51 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 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 47m
5 PM
0h 51m
8 PM
0h 42m

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 in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Des Plaines, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States of America

Palos Park, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Palos Park, IL covers 31.5 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Tri-State Tollway, Southwest Highway, South Des Plaines River Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 23.2 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.88 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 23.2 mi 29m
Southwest Highway 2.8 mi 4m
South Des Plaines River Road 1.8 mi 3m
Harlem Avenue 1.2 mi 1m
Mile-Long Bridge 0.9 mi 1m
West 95th Street 0.2 mi <1m
Henry Avenue 0.1 mi <1m
West 123rd Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 23.2 mi, about 29m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Des Plaines, IL and Palos Park, IL.

1

Start on Henry Avenue

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Henry Avenue
2

Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road

1.8 mi · 3 min · South Des Plaines River Road
Use the left lane.
3

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 55 sec
Toward I 294 South: Indiana
4

Merge onto I 294

11 mi · 14 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

4.8 mi · 5 min · Tri-State Tollway
6

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294

3.5 mi · 4 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Continue on I 294

0.9 mi · 1 min · Mile-Long Bridge
8

Continue on I 294

3.4 mi · 4 min · Tri-State Tollway
9

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Exit 17A Toward US 12 East, US 20 East: 95th Street, 76th Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight right at fork

0.1 mi · 17 sec
Toward US 12, US 20 East: 95th Street Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11

Turn straight onto US 12; US 20

0.2 mi · 24 sec · West 95th Street
12

Turn slight right

0.4 mi · 1 min
13

Turn straight onto IL 43

1.2 mi · 1 min · Harlem Avenue
14

Turn right onto IL 7

2.8 mi · 4 min · Southwest Highway
Use the right lane.
15

Turn slight right

0.2 mi · 29 sec
16

Turn slight right onto West 123rd Street

98 ft · 9 sec · West 123rd Street
17

Turn left onto South 86th Avenue

30 ft · 0 sec · South 86th Avenue
18

Arrive at destination

South 86th Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 26.6 — 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 | South Des Plaines River Road

Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
2.3 mi into trip | ~4m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Merge onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
18.6 mi into trip | ~25m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
26.4 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward US 12 East, US 20 East: 95th Street, 76th Avenue

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 17A Toward US 12 East, US 20 East: 95th Street, 76t...
9
26.6 mi into trip | ~35m in

Keep slight right at fork toward US 12, US 20 East: 95th Street

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward US 12, US 20 East: 95th Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.88 one way

$9.77 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $5.36 $10.71
premium $4.93 $6.11 $12.22
diesel $5.60 $6.94 $13.89

Estimated Tolls: $1.39

Tri-state Tollway (23.2 mi) $1.39

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 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.5 0 $3.31 $1.51
Efficient EV 7.9 0 $2.76 $1.26
EV Truck/SUV 12.6 0 $4.41 $2.02

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (64% 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 28, 2026

Origin

Des Plaines, IL

Late night in Des Plaines on Saturday

Local time

3:49 AM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Partly Cloudy

SSE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 10:46AM CDT until August 30 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Paducah KY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 9:43AM CDT until August 30 at 4:36AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Palos Park, IL

Late night in Palos Park on Saturday

Local time

3:49 AM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Partly Cloudy

SW 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 10:46AM CDT until August 30 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Paducah KY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 9:43AM CDT until August 30 at 4:36AM 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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

44m 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?

31.5 mi in 44m 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.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.2 mi on Tri-State Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 South Des Plaines River Road.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 31.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.

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 2.3 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.6 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

689 ft 593 ft

Total Climb

187 ft

Total Descent

130 ft

Highest Point

689 ft

~31.5 mi in

Elevation Range

95 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 Palos Park, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1914

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 44m. Total distance: 31.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

44m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 23.2 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.39 in tolls one way, starting with Tri-state 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.

Yes — we found about 5 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Palos Park, 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 (South Des Plaines River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.6 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Pullman National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Palos Park, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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