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Trip from Des Plaines, IL to Volo, 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

41m

Distance

27.2 mi

44 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m

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

Downtown Volo, IL, IL

Volo, IL

Jean-Paul Wettstein

Trip Overview

The drive from Des Plaines, IL to Volo, IL covers 27.2 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 East Rand Road, Rand Road, South Des Plaines River Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 22.9 miles on East Rand Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.22 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
East Rand Road 22.9 mi 33m
Rand Road 2.2 mi 3m
South Des Plaines River Road 1 mi 2m
US 12 0.8 mi 1m
Volo Village Road 0.2 mi <1m
Henry Avenue 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: East Rand Road — 22.9 mi, about 33m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on Henry Avenue

0.1 mi · 31 sec · Henry Avenue
2

Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · South Des Plaines River Road
3

Turn left onto US 12

2.2 mi · 3 min · Rand Road
Use the left lane.
4

Continue on US 12

23 mi · 33 min · East Rand Road
Use the left lane.
5

Continue on US 12; IL 59

0.8 mi · 1 min · US 12; IL 59
Use the left lane.
6

Turn left onto Volo Village Road

0.2 mi · 46 sec · Volo Village Road
Use the left lane.
7

Turn right

43 ft · 3 sec
8

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

4 of 4

4 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 27.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | South Des Plaines River Road

Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road

Navigation decision point

4
1.1 mi into trip | ~2m in | US 12 / Rand Road

Turn left onto US 12 / Rand Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
27 mi into trip | ~40m in | Volo Village Road

Turn left onto Volo Village Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
27.2 mi into trip | ~41m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.22 one way

$8.43 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $4.62 $9.25
premium $4.93 $5.28 $10.55
diesel $5.60 $6.00 $11.99

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.2 0 $2.86 $1.31
Efficient EV 6.8 0 $2.38 $1.09
EV Truck/SUV 10.9 0 $3.81 $1.74

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 27, 2026

Origin

Des Plaines, IL

Night in Des Plaines on Friday

Local time

11:07 PM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Isolated Rain Showers then Mostly Clear

WNW 5 to 10 mph 18% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 26 at 1:04PM CDT until August 27 at 2:12PM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 26 at 1:04PM CDT until August 29 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Volo, IL

Night in Volo on Friday

Local time

11:07 PM

CDT

Current temp

60°F

Isolated Rain Showers then Mostly Clear

NW 5 to 10 mph 18% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 26 at 1:04PM CDT until August 27 at 2:12PM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 26 at 1:04PM CDT until August 29 at 10:00AM 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

4 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

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?

27.2 mi in 41m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 3% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.9 mi on East Rand Road.

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): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 27 miles (Volo Village Road): Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

877 ft 632 ft

Total Climb

291 ft

Total Descent

131 ft

Highest Point

877 ft

~15.6 mi in

Elevation Range

245 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 Volo, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1993

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: 27.2 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 (3%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 22.9 miles on East Rand 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 0.1 miles (South Des Plaines River Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 27 miles (Volo Village Road): 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 Volo, 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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