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Trip from Lake Forest, IL to Evanston, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

32m

Distance

21 mi

34 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Lake County, Illinois, United States

Lake Forest, IL

Wikimedia Commons

suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Evanston, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Lake Forest to Evanston is 21 miles and takes about 32 minutes via Edens Expressway, Skokie Highway, and Skokie Valley Road, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, moving from the Midwest region to the Midwest region. It's primarily a surface road drive with a brief expressway section, making it a straightforward and quick transit. Consider this route for its simplicity and speed when you need to get between these two northern Chicago suburbs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Edens Expressway 5.6 mi 7m
Skokie Highway 3.8 mi 4m
Skokie Valley Road 3.4 mi 4m
Central Street 1.5 mi 2m
Old Orchard Road 1.4 mi 3m
North Western Avenue 1.3 mi 2m
East Westleigh Road 1.1 mi 1m
Green Bay Road 0.9 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Edens Expressway — 5.6 mi, about 7m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Lake Forest, IL and Evanston, IL.

1

Start on Griffith Road

71 ft · 3 sec · Griffith Road
2

Turn straight onto East Woodland Road

204 ft · 9 sec · East Woodland Road
3

Turn slight left onto North McKinley Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · North McKinley Road
4

At end of road, turn right onto Illinois Road

238 ft · 12 sec · Illinois Road
5

Turn left onto North Western Avenue

1.3 mi · 2 min · North Western Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
6

At end of road, turn right onto East Westleigh Road

1.1 mi · 1 min · East Westleigh Road
7

Turn left onto US 41

3.4 mi · 4 min · Skokie Valley Road
8

Continue on US 41

3.8 mi · 4 min · Skokie Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 94; US 41

5.6 mi · 7 min · Edens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 46 sec
Exit 35 Toward Old Orchard Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Turn left onto Old Orchard Road

1.4 mi · 3 min · Old Orchard Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
12

Turn left onto Gross Point Road

0.2 mi · 22 sec · Gross Point Road
Use the left lane.
13

Turn right onto Central Street

1.5 mi · 2 min · Central Street
Use the right lane.
14

Turn right onto Green Bay Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · Green Bay Road
15

Turn right onto Asbury Avenue

0.8 mi · 1 min · Asbury Avenue
16

Turn left onto Dempster Street

213 ft · 9 sec · Dempster Street
Use the left lane.
17

Turn uturn

213 ft · 17 sec
18

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 20.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in | Illinois Road

At end of road, turn right onto Illinois Road

Navigation decision point

6
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in | North Western Avenue

Turn left onto North Western Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / left lanes.
7
15.7 mi into trip | ~21m in

Take the exit toward Old Orchard Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 35 Toward Old Orchard Road
6
20.9 mi into trip | ~31m in | Dempster Street

Turn left onto Dempster Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
20.9 mi into trip | ~31m in

Turn uturn

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.20 one way

$6.41 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $3.53 $7.06
premium $4.81 $3.97 $7.95
diesel $5.40 $4.47 $8.93

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.3 0 $2.20 $1.01
Efficient EV 5.3 0 $1.84 $0.84
EV Truck/SUV 8.4 0 $2.94 $1.34

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.

Forecast as of Apr 26, 2026

Origin

Lake Forest, IL

Night in Lake Forest on Saturday

Local time

11:19 PM

CDT

Current temp

42°F

Mostly Cloudy then Areas Of Fog

NE 5 to 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:00PM CDT until April 29 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Evanston, IL

Night in Evanston on Saturday

Local time

11:19 PM

CDT

Current temp

41°F

Mostly Cloudy then Areas Of Fog

ENE 5 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:00PM CDT until April 29 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 9:00PM 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

1 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

32m 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?

You'll spend about 27% of this 21-mile drive on the highway, with the longest continuous stretch on the Edens Expressway covering 5.6 miles. After that, the route transitions to surface roads like Skokie Highway and Skokie Valley Road. Expect a more urban feel with frequent intersections and traffic lights once you exit the expressway. The majority of your time will be spent navigating these surface streets.

Only 27% 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: 5.6 mi on Edens Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near Illinois Road.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 21 miles you will encounter 11 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: at 0.6 miles (Illinois Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (North Western Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Lake Forest, IL

Full guide →

Lake Forest is an idyllic suburb in the North Shore region of Illinois. An integral part of Chicago's ritzy North Shore suburban area, Lake Forest is true to its name and reputation. Indeed, Lake Forest boasts one of Illinois' nicest beaches as well as myriad of fancy homes tucked away under vast expanses of lush green foliage on large estates. With a charming downtown district and a friendlier attitude than most other American communities of its stature, Lake Forest is well worth a visit.

Arriving 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

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 32m. Total distance: 21 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

32m 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 5.6 miles on Edens Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 Evanston, 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 0.6 miles (Illinois Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (North Western Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Evanston, 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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