Origin
Lake in the Hills, IL
Morning in Lake in the Hills on Tuesday
Local time
9:10 AM
CDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lake in the Hills, 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
1h 13m
Distance
51.1 mi
82 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 8m
★
6 AM
1h 14m
8 AM
1h 25m
10 AM
1h 18m
12 PM
1h 17m
3 PM
1h 18m
5 PM
1h 25m
8 PM
1h 10m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lake in the Hills, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
Lake in the Hills to Chicago is 51.1 miles and takes about 1h 13m via Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This route stays within Illinois, traveling from the Midwest region to the bustling heart of Chicago. Expect a mix of tollway cruising and surface road navigation as you approach your destination. It's a straightforward drive, perfect for a single-day trip when you need to get to Chicago efficiently from the surrounding suburbs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Addams Memorial Tollway | 26 mi | 28m |
| Kennedy Expressway | 7.9 mi | 11m |
| South Randall Road | 6.7 mi | 10m |
| West Higgins Avenue | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| West Higgins Road | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Cumberland flyover | 1 mi | 1m |
| Dan Ryan Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North Cumberland Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
— 26 mi, about 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lake in the Hills, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on West Acorn Lane
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
West Acorn Lane
2
Turn left onto V29
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
North Randall Road
3
Continue on V29
6.7 mi
·
10 min
·
South Randall Road
Use the straight lane.
4
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 90 East Toll: Chicago
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto I 90
26 mi
·
27 min
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto I 90
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Toward Cumberland Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I 90
526 ft
·
29 sec
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
8
Merge onto I 90
402 ft
·
4 sec
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
9
Take the exit onto Cumberland flyover
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Cumberland flyover
Exit 79A
Toward IL 171 South: Cumberland Avenue South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
245 ft
·
8 sec
Toward IL 171 South: Cumberland Avenue
11
Turn right onto IL 171
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
North Cumberland Avenue
Use the right lane.
12
Continue on IL 171
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Cumberland Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto IL 72
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
West Higgins Road
14
Turn right onto IL 72
326 ft
·
13 sec
·
North Oriole Avenue
Use the left / right lanes.
15
Turn left onto IL 72
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
West Higgins Avenue
16
Turn right onto North Central Avenue
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
North Central Avenue
17
Turn left onto West Lawrence Avenue
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
·
West Lawrence Avenue
Use the left lane.
18
Turn right onto North Milwaukee Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
19
Turn left onto West Montrose Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Montrose Avenue
20
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Toward I 90 East, I 94 East
21
Merge onto I 90; I 94
7.9 mi
·
11 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
22
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
23
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Use the slight right lane.
24
Turn slight left onto South Union Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Union Avenue
25
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
505 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
26
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Halsted Street
27
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
West Cermak Road
28
Turn left
152 ft
·
11 sec
29
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
30
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
26 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 25.5 miles from Lake in the Hills, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 235 decision points cluster between mile 7.4 and 50 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
7.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Turn left toward I 90 East Toll: Chicago
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 90 East Toll: Chicago
7
33.2 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
I 90 / Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 90 / Jane Addams Memorial Tollway toward Cumberland Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Cumberland Avenue
7
33.7 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
Cumberland flyover
Take the exit onto Cumberland flyover toward IL 171 South: Cumberland Avenue South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 79A
Toward IL 171 South: Cumberland Avenue South
6
34.8 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
IL 171 / North Cumberland Avenue
Turn right onto IL 171 / North Cumberland Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
50 mi into trip
|
~1h 10m 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
$7.99 one way
$15.98 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
18 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $8.77 | $17.54 |
| premium | $4.89 | $9.83 | $19.67 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.28 | $22.56 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.79
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
(25.5 mi)
$1.79
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Tolls
$2
Total
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 17.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.3 | 0 | $5.37 | $2.45 |
| Efficient EV | 12.8 | 0 | $4.47 | $2.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 20.4 | 0 | $7.15 | $3.27 |
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (67% 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
Morning in Chicago on Tuesday
Local time
9:10 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°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
17 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
1h 13m 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?
This drive features 17% highway travel, with your longest stretch on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway covering 26 miles. You'll transition from surface roads onto the tollway for a significant portion of the trip before heading onto the Kennedy Expressway. Be prepared for urban merging as you get closer to Chicago. The majority of this route is on surface roads, so expect traffic signals and local intersections.
Only 17% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
30 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 26 mi on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 7.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 51.1 miles you will encounter 23 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 7.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 33.2 miles (I 90 / Jane Addams Memorial Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 33.7 miles (Cumberland flyover): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
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 1h 13m. Total distance: 51.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 13m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 26 miles on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.79 in tolls one way, starting with Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Chicago, 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 7.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 33.2 miles (I 90 / Jane Addams Memorial Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 33.7 miles (Cumberland flyover): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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