Origin
Evanston, IL
Morning in Evanston on Friday
Local time
6:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
50m
Distance
29.5 mi
47 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Evanston, IL
Wikimedia Commons
North Barrington, IL
NIKOLAI FOMIN
Evanston, IL to North Barrington, IL is 29.5 miles and takes about 50m via East Rand Road, Golf Road, and Milwaukee Avenue, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, connecting two Midwest locales. It primarily uses surface roads, making it a straightforward drive. Given its short distance, it's ideal for a quick excursion without needing an overnight stay, allowing for a flexible schedule.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Rand Road | 8.9 mi | 12m |
| Golf Road | 6.7 mi | 12m |
| Milwaukee Avenue | 4.5 mi | 7m |
| Palatine Road | 3.8 mi | 6m |
| IL 59 | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| State Route 22 | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Emerson Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Asbury Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Evanston, IL and North Barrington, IL.
Start on this road
At end of road, turn left
At end of road, turn left onto Dempster Street
Turn right onto Asbury Avenue
Turn left onto Emerson Street
Continue on Golf Road
Turn right onto IL 21
Continue on IL 21
Turn left onto Old Palatine Road
Continue on West Palatine Road
Take the ramp
Merge onto Palatine Road
Turn right onto US 12
Turn left onto IL 22
Continue on IL 22
Turn right onto IL 59
Turn right onto Eton Drive
Turn right onto Woodland Drive
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn left
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
At end of road, turn left onto Dempster Street
Navigation decision point
Turn right onto Asbury Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto Old Palatine Road
Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto Palatine Road
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$4.57 one way
$9.15 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $5.02 | $10.03 |
| premium | $4.93 | $5.72 | $11.45 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $6.50 | $13.01 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 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 | 8.9 | 0 | $3.10 | $1.42 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.58 | $1.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.13 | $1.89 |
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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Evanston on Friday
Local time
6:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Destination
Morning in North Barrington on Friday
Local time
6:47 AM
CDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
This drive is mostly surface roads, with only about 8% highway share. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 8.9 miles on East Rand Road before transitioning to other surface streets. Expect a more suburban feel with traffic lights and local intersections rather than high-speed cruising. The transition from any brief highway portions to surface roads will be noticeable fairly quickly.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
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 29.5 miles you will encounter 13 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.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
305 ft
Total Descent
127 ft
Highest Point
879 ft
~25.3 mi in
Elevation Range
276 ft
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 50m. Total distance: 29.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
50m 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.
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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