Origin
Evanston, IL
Late night in Evanston on Tuesday
Local time
4:08 AM
CDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Evanston, IL to Chicago, 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
28m
Distance
14.4 mi
23 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Evanston, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
Traveling the 14.4 miles from Evanston to Chicago is a quick, straightforward journey that comfortably fits into a single day. You can expect to spend about 28 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal trip for a morning commute or a casual afternoon outing. With a fuel budget of just $2, this route is highly cost-effective and perfect for those who want to stay within the Midwest region without a major financial commitment. Since the drive is short, you won't need to worry about overnight logistics or complex planning. It is a practical, no-nonsense connection between two neighboring Illinois cities that gets you to your destination efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Western Avenue | 5.5 mi | 11m |
| Kennedy Expressway | 3.6 mi | 5m |
| Asbury Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Dan Ryan Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North Damen Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Clybourn Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West Cermak Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Union Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Western Avenue
— 5.5 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Evanston, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on this road
197 ft
·
21 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left
139 ft
·
15 sec
3
At end of road, turn left onto Dempster Street
213 ft
·
14 sec
·
Dempster Street
4
Turn left onto Asbury Avenue
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Asbury Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Continue on North Western Avenue
5.5 mi
·
11 min
·
North Western Avenue
6
Turn left onto North Clybourn Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
North Clybourn Avenue
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto North Damen Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
North Damen Avenue
8
Turn left onto West Webster Avenue
139 ft
·
2 sec
·
West Webster Avenue
9
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward I 90 East, I 94 East
10
Merge onto I 90; I 94
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
12
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Use the slight right lane.
13
Turn slight left onto South Union Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Union Avenue
14
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
505 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
15
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Halsted Street
16
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
West Cermak Road
17
Turn left
152 ft
·
11 sec
18
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
19
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
At end of road, turn left
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Dempster Street
At end of road, turn left onto Dempster Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Asbury Avenue
Turn left onto Asbury Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
8.6 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the ramp toward I 90 East, I 94 East
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 90 East, I 94 East
7
13.4 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.25 one way
$4.50 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.47 | $4.94 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.77 | $5.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.18 | $6.36 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| Efficient EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.02 | $0.92 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Chicago, IL
Late night in Chicago on Tuesday
Local time
4:08 AM
CDT
Current temp
46°F
Showers And Thunderstorms
WSW 15 mph
98% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 18 at 1:54AM CDT until April 18 at 8:00AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 18 at 1:33AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL
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
14 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
28m 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?
This trip offers a mixed driving experience, balancing local street navigation with faster highway transit. Approximately 31% of your journey takes place on the highway, specifically utilizing the Kennedy Expressway to bridge the gap between Evanston and Chicago. You will spend your longest uninterrupted stretch covering 5.5 miles on North Western Avenue, which provides a steady rhythm before transitioning into the expressway portion. As you move from local roads like Asbury Avenue onto the faster-paced highway, the character of the drive shifts noticeably. Expect a blend of standard urban traffic patterns that require your full attention as you transition between these different road types.
31% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.5 mi on North Western Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 14 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 14.4 miles you will encounter 14 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: near the start: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Dempster Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Asbury Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
613 ft
575 ft
Total Climb
57 ft
Total Descent
83 ft
Highest Point
613 ft
Elevation Range
39 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Evanston, IL
Full guide →Founded 1836
Evanston is a city in the North Shore region of Illinois along the shores of Lake Michigan. Evanston has many identities: college town, dining destination, cultural center and gateway to the wealthy North Shore, although the city itself is anything but homogeneous in regards to economic status, culture and race. Evanston is named after John Evans, one of the founders of Northwestern University, which ranks among the most prestigious universities in the United States.
Top landmarks
- • Grosse Point Light — lighthouse in Illinois, United States
- • Shakespeare Garden — garden on the campus of Northwestern University
- • Frederick B. Carter, Jr. House — historic house in Illinois, United States
Arriving 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 28m. Total distance: 14.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (31%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.5 miles on North Western 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: near the start: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Dempster Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Asbury Avenue): 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 Chicago, 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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