Origin
Glendale Heights, IL
Morning in Glendale Heights on Tuesday
Local time
8:50 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Glendale Heights, IL to Cicero, 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
35m
Distance
20.4 mi
33 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Glendale Heights, IL
Choco Kitty
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion from Glendale Heights to Cicero, you are looking at a straightforward 20.4-mile trek across the Illinois landscape. Clocking in at approximately 35 minutes, this trip is perfectly suited for a single-day outing, requiring no overnight stays. You will navigate a mix of thoroughfares, including I-290, North Avenue, and West Saint Charles Road, to complete the journey. Budgeting roughly $3 for fuel makes this an incredibly economical drive for your itinerary. Because both locations sit within the Midwest, the transition is seamless and familiar. This route serves as a practical, no-fuss connection that gets you from point A to point B efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 290 | 8.6 mi | 11m |
| North Avenue | 5 mi | 9m |
| West Saint Charles Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Laramie Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Kingery Highway | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Glen Ellyn Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| West Roosevelt Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Central Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 290
— 8.6 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Glendale Heights, IL and Cicero, IL.
1
Start on Highland Avenue
83 ft
·
10 sec
·
Highland Avenue
2
Turn left onto Winthrop Avenue
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Winthrop Avenue
3
At end of road, turn right onto Glen Ellyn Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Glen Ellyn Road
4
Turn left onto IL 64
5.0 mi
·
9 min
·
North Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto IL 83
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Kingery Highway
6
Turn left onto West Saint Charles Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West Saint Charles Road
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward I 290 East
8
Merge onto I 290
8.6 mi
·
11 min
·
I 290
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 23B
Toward Central Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn right onto South Central Avenue
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
South Central Avenue
11
Turn left onto West Roosevelt Road
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
West Roosevelt Road
12
Turn right onto South Laramie Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Laramie Avenue
13
Arrive at destination
South Laramie Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 17.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Winthrop Avenue
Turn left onto Winthrop Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Glen Ellyn Road
At end of road, turn right onto Glen Ellyn Road
Navigation decision point
4
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
IL 64 / North Avenue
Turn left onto IL 64 / North Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
9.3 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
I 290
Merge onto I 290
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
17.9 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward Central Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 23B
Toward Central Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.19 one way
$6.38 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.50 | $7.00 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.93 | $7.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.50 | $9.01 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.82 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.86 | $1.31 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Cicero, IL
Morning in Cicero on Tuesday
Local time
8:50 AM
CDT
Current temp
63°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
12 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
35m 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?
Expect a mixed driving experience as you transition between high-speed infrastructure and local surface streets. With highway travel accounting for 42% of the journey, you will spend a portion of your time on I-290, which features the route's longest uninterrupted stretch of 8.6 miles. The character of the road shifts significantly as you move away from the interstate and onto North Avenue and West Saint Charles Road. Navigating these varied conditions requires you to stay alert as the rhythm of the drive changes from steady highway pacing to the stop-and-go nature of local roads. It is a functional commute that balances speed with the accessibility of suburban and urban corridors.
42% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.6 mi on I 290.
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 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Winthrop Avenue.
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 20.4 miles you will encounter 10 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 (Winthrop Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Glen Ellyn Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (IL 64 / North Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Cicero, IL
Full guide →Cicero is a town of 81,000 people (2019) in the Chicagoland area, just west of the Chicago city limits. It became famous when gangster Al Capone moved here to escape from the Chicago Police in the early 1920s.
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 35m. Total distance: 20.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
35m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (42%). 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 8.6 miles on I 290. 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 (Winthrop Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Glen Ellyn Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (IL 64 / North 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 Cicero, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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