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Trip from Niles, IL to Glendale Heights, 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

37m

Distance

21.2 mi

34 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 35m ★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m

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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village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Niles, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Glendale Heights, IL, IL

Glendale Heights, IL

Choco Kitty

Trip Overview

Niles, IL to Glendale Heights, IL is 21.2 miles and takes about 37m via Tri-State Tollway, East North Avenue, West Touhy Avenue, 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 another part of the Midwest. Expect a drive that mostly uses surface roads, making it a straightforward hop between two suburban areas. It's a quick connection, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without a major time commitment.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 8.1 mi 10m
East North Avenue 5.7 mi 12m
West Touhy Avenue 3.5 mi 6m
North Avenue 1.3 mi 2m
Glen Ellyn Road 0.7 mi 1m
North Waukegan Road 0.4 mi <1m
Winthrop Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
North Milwaukee Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 8.1 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Niles, IL and Glendale Heights, IL.

1

Start on North Waukegan Road

0.4 mi · 44 sec · North Waukegan Road
2

Continue on North Milwaukee Avenue

507 ft · 17 sec · North Milwaukee Avenue
3

Turn right onto West Touhy Avenue

3.5 mi · 6 min · West Touhy Avenue
Use the right lane.
4

Turn left onto South Des Plaines River Road

184 ft · 3 sec · South Des Plaines River Road
5

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 55 sec
Toward I 294 South: Indiana
6

Merge onto I 294

8.1 mi · 10 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 33 Toward I 290 West: Rockford, Elmhurst Use the right lane.
8

Merge onto I 290

464 ft · 7 sec · I 290
9

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 13B Toward IL 64 West: North Avenue Use the right lane.
10

Turn straight onto IL 64

5.7 mi · 12 min · East North Avenue
Use the left / uturn lanes.
11

Continue on IL 64

1.3 mi · 2 min · North Avenue
12

Turn slight right

413 ft · 15 sec
Use the right lane.
13

Turn straight onto Glen Ellyn Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Glen Ellyn Road
14

Turn left onto Winthrop Avenue

0.2 mi · 42 sec · Winthrop Avenue
15

Turn right onto Highland Avenue

83 ft · 3 sec · Highland Avenue
16

Arrive at destination

Highland Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 21.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | West Touhy Avenue

Turn right onto West Touhy Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
5
4.5 mi into trip | ~8m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Merge onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
12.6 mi into trip | ~19m in

Take the exit toward I 290 West: Rockford, Elmhurst

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the right lane. Exit 33 Toward I 290 West: Rockford, Elmhurst
8
12.9 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward IL 64 West: North Avenue

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

Use the right lane. Exit 13B Toward IL 64 West: North Avenue
5
21.2 mi into trip | ~37m in | Highland Avenue

Turn right onto Highland Avenue

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.23 one way

$6.47 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $3.56 $7.12
premium $4.81 $4.01 $8.02
diesel $5.40 $4.51 $9.02

Estimated Tolls: $0.49

Tri-state Tollway (8.1 mi) $0.49

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Tolls

$0

Total

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.4 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 6.4 0 $2.23 $1.02
Efficient EV 5.3 0 $1.85 $0.85
EV Truck/SUV 8.5 0 $2.97 $1.36

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 25, 2026

Origin

Niles, IL

Night in Niles on Saturday

Local time

11:20 PM

CDT

Current temp

54°F

Mostly Sunny

NNE 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 10:45AM CDT until April 30 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 10:35AM CDT until April 26 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Glendale Heights, IL

Night in Glendale Heights on Saturday

Local time

11:20 PM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Sunny

NE 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 10:45AM CDT until April 30 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 10:35AM CDT until April 26 at 7:00PM 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

10 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

37m 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?

This route features a highway share of 0%, meaning you'll be on surface roads for the entire 21.2 miles. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 8.1 miles, which occurs on the Tri-State Tollway. You’ll notice a pattern of frequent intersections and traffic signals as you navigate East North Avenue and West Touhy Avenue. Since this drive is entirely on local roads, be prepared for typical suburban traffic flow.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.1 mi on Tri-State Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

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 0.5 miles in near West Touhy Avenue.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 21.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Niles, IL to Glendale Heights, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Elmhurst along the way.

Elmhurst

12.6 mi in | ~19m

About the Cities

Starting in Niles, IL

Full guide →

Niles is a city of 30,912 (2020) in Illinois.

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 37m. Total distance: 21.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

37m 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 8.1 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.49 in tolls one way, starting with Tri-state 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.

Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Glendale Heights, 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 0.5 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 Glendale Heights, 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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