Origin
Lake Zurich, IL
Morning in Lake Zurich on Sunday
Local time
8:41 AM
CDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lake Zurich, IL to Des Plaines, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
17 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lake Zurich, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Des Plaines, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Lake Zurich, IL to Des Plaines, IL is 17 miles and takes about 27 minutes via North Rand Road, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a quick, local drive entirely within Illinois, perfect for a same-day trip. You'll be navigating primarily on local roads, so expect a bit of a turn-heavy experience. It's a straightforward journey that doesn't require extensive planning, making it ideal if you need to get from point A to point B efficiently within the Midwest region.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Rand Road | 6.6 mi | 11m |
| Rand Road | 6.3 mi | 8m |
| West Rand Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Des Plaines River Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| West Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Ela Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Henry Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Old Rand Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Rand Road
— 6.6 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lake Zurich, IL and Des Plaines, IL.
1
Start on North Old Rand Road
68 ft
·
7 sec
·
North Old Rand Road
2
Turn right onto West Main Street
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
·
West Main Street
3
Continue on IL 22
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
West Main Street
4
Turn left onto Ela Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Ela Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto US 12
4.1 mi
·
5 min
·
Rand Road
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on US 12
6.6 mi
·
11 min
·
North Rand Road
7
Continue on US 12
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
West Rand Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Continue on US 12
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Rand Road
9
Turn right onto US 12; US 45
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Des Plaines River Road
10
Turn right onto Henry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Henry Avenue
11
Arrive at destination
Henry Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 16.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Main Street
Turn right onto West Main Street
Navigation decision point
7
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Ela Road
Turn left onto Ela Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
0.9 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 12 / Rand Road
Turn left onto US 12 / Rand Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
16.9 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
Henry Avenue
Turn right onto Henry Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.66 one way
$5.32 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.92 | $5.84 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.27 | $6.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.75 | $7.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.49 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.38 | $1.09 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Des Plaines, IL
Morning in Des Plaines on Sunday
Local time
8:41 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°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
5 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
27m 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 route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive' with a 0% highway share, meaning you won't encounter any interstate speeds or long stretches of uninterrupted highway. The longest continuous segment you'll drive is 6.6 miles along North Rand Road. Expect to make frequent turns as you navigate local streets, which can make the drive feel more engaging than a typical highway cruise. The road profile suggests a consistent, local driving experience throughout the entire 17-mile journey from Lake Zurich to Des Plaines.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.6 mi on North Rand Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West Main Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 27m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (Ela Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.9 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Des Plaines, IL
Full guide →Founded 1852
Des Plaines is in Chicagoland. It is an inner-ring, northwest suburb of Chicago with two distinct portions: a suburban northern portion reminiscient of other, nearby northwest suburbs (including Niles, Park Ridge, and Mount Prospect), as well as a built-up southern portion with the businesses, hotels, and other amenities of the O'Hare Airport corridor (much like Rosemont, Chicago's O'Hare neighborhood, and Elk Grove Village).
Top landmarks
- • McDonald's #1 Store Museum — former McDonald's spot
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 27m. Total distance: 17 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.6 miles on North Rand Road. 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 (West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (Ela Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.9 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): 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 Des Plaines, 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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