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Trip from Naperville, IL to Tower Lake, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h

Distance

42.9 mi

69 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 56m ★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 10m
10 AM
1h 4m
12 PM
1h 3m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 10m
8 PM
0h 57m

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

Best Time
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Downtown Naperville, IL, IL

Naperville, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Tower Lake, IL, IL

Tower Lake, IL

椰椰 圆

Trip Overview

The drive from Naperville, IL to Tower Lake, IL covers 42.9 miles and takes about 1h behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Veterans Memorial Tollway, IL 53, I 290 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.6 miles on Veterans Memorial Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.65 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Veterans Memorial Tollway 10.6 mi 13m
IL 53 8.9 mi 11m
I 290 5.6 mi 6m
North Rand Road 4.4 mi 5m
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway 4.3 mi 5m
IL 59 3.3 mi 5m
East Ogden Avenue 1.6 mi 3m
State Route 22 1.1 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Veterans Memorial Tollway — 10.6 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Naperville, IL and Tower Lake, IL.

1

Start on North Washington Street

50 ft · 9 sec · North Washington Street
2

Turn left onto US 34

1.6 mi · 3 min · East Ogden Avenue
Use the left lane.
3

Turn left onto North Naperville Wheaton Road

0.3 mi · 39 sec · North Naperville Wheaton Road
Use the left lane.
4

Turn left onto Naperville Road

0.3 mi · 38 sec · Naperville Road
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
5

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 48 sec
Toward I 88 Toll East: Chicago Use the right lane.
6

Merge onto I 88; IL 110

4.3 mi · 5 min · Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
7

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 132 Toward I 355 Toll North: Northwest Suburbs Use the slight right lane.
8

Merge onto I 355

11 mi · 13 min · Veterans Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto I 290

5.6 mi · 6 min · I 290
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53

8.9 mi · 11 min · IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Continue on Lake Cook Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Lake Cook Road
Use the left lane.
12

Continue on US 12

4.4 mi · 5 min · North Rand Road
Use the right lane.
13

Turn left onto IL 22

0.4 mi · 53 sec · West Main Street
Use the left lane.
14

Continue on IL 22

1.1 mi · 1 min · State Route 22
15

Turn right onto IL 59

3.3 mi · 5 min · IL 59
16

Turn left onto Essex Drive

75 ft · 8 sec · Essex Drive
Use the left lane.
17

Turn left onto North Gateway Drive

305 ft · 13 sec · North Gateway Drive
18

Turn slight right onto East Tower Drive

0.2 mi · 57 sec · East Tower Drive
19

Arrive at destination

East Tower Drive

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Hoffman Estates, IL

21 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

Round Lake Beach, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 42.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Schaumburg, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.4 miles from Naperville, 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 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 23.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | US 34 / East Ogden Avenue

Turn left onto US 34 / East Ogden Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
1.6 mi into trip | ~3m in | North Naperville Wheaton Road

Turn left onto North Naperville Wheaton Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
1.9 mi into trip | ~4m in | Naperville Road

Turn left onto Naperville Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight / right lanes.
7
6.8 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward I 355 Toll North: Northwest Suburbs

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 132 Toward I 355 Toll North: Northwest Suburbs
6
23.8 mi into trip | ~32m in | IL 53

Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.65 one way

$13.30 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $7.29 $14.59
premium $4.93 $8.32 $16.65
diesel $5.60 $9.46 $18.91

Estimated Tolls: $1.00

Veterans Memorial Tollway (10.6 mi) $0.74
Reagan Memorial Tollway (4.3 mi) $0.26

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Tolls

$1

Total

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 15 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.9 0 $4.50 $2.06
Efficient EV 10.7 0 $3.75 $1.72
EV Truck/SUV 17.2 0 $6.01 $2.75

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 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.

Forecast as of Aug 28, 2026

Origin

Naperville, IL

Afternoon in Naperville on Friday

Local time

2:18 PM

CDT

Current temp

61°F

Mostly Clear then Patchy Fog

E 0 to 5 mph 14% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 27 at 4:22PM CDT until August 30 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Paducah KY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 27 at 10:04AM CDT until August 29 at 2:23PM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Tower Lake, IL

Afternoon in Tower Lake on Friday

Local time

2:18 PM

CDT

Current temp

59°F

Mostly Clear

NE 0 to 5 mph 3% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 27 at 4:22PM CDT until August 30 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Paducah KY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 27 at 10:04AM CDT until August 29 at 2:23PM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

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

2 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

1h 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?

42.9 mi in 1h — 44% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Veterans Memorial Tollway.

44% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.6 mi on Veterans Memorial Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 34 / East Ogden Avenue.

Driving Effort 8/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 42.9 miles you will encounter 14 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 (US 34 / East Ogden Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (North Naperville Wheaton Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (Naperville Road): Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

878 ft 693 ft

Total Climb

319 ft

Total Descent

246 ft

Highest Point

878 ft

~36.7 mi in

Elevation Range

185 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Naperville, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1890

Naperville is a bedroom community in the Chicagoland area. In 2008, Money magazine ranked Naperville third on its list of the 100 best places to live in the 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 1h. Total distance: 42.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (44%). 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 10.6 miles on Veterans Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.00 in tolls one way, starting with Veterans 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 Tower Lake, 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: near the start (US 34 / East Ogden Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (North Naperville Wheaton Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (Naperville 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 Tower Lake, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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