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Trip from Niles, IL to Lily Lake, 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

1h 4m

Distance

47.2 mi

76 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 16 min
4 AM
0h 59m ★
6 AM
1h 5m
8 AM
1h 15m
10 AM
1h 8m
12 PM
1h 7m
3 PM
1h 9m
5 PM
1h 14m
8 PM
1h 1m

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 Lily Lake, IL, IL

Lily Lake, IL

Josh Sorenson

Trip Overview

Niles, IL to Lily Lake, IL is 47.2 miles and takes about 1 hour 4 minutes via Jane Addams Memorial Tollway and Randall Road, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, moving from the Midwest's more populated areas towards a more rural destination. The route is primarily surface roads after an initial highway stretch, making it a straightforward drive for a single day. Consider this route if you're looking for a quick transition from suburban Chicago to a quieter setting without a long travel commitment.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 24.7 mi 26m
Randall Road 5.3 mi 8m
IL 47 3.3 mi 4m
Bowes Road 3.3 mi 5m
McDonald Road 3.2 mi 5m
West Touhy Avenue 2.8 mi 5m
Corron Road 1.7 mi 2m
South Dee Road 1 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Jane Addams Memorial Tollway — 24.7 mi, about 26m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Niles, IL and Lily Lake, 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

2.8 mi · 5 min · West Touhy Avenue
Use the right lane.
4

Turn left onto South Dee Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · South Dee Road
Use the left lane.
5

Turn right onto Devon Avenue

0.9 mi · 1 min · Devon Avenue
Use the left lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 32 sec
Toward I 90 West Toll Use the right lane.
7

Merge onto I 90

25 mi · 26 min · Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 42 sec
Exit 52 Toward Randall Road Use the slight right lane.
9

Keep slight left at fork

222 ft · 7 sec
Toward Randall Road, Elgin Use the left lane.
10

Turn left onto CR 34

5.3 mi · 8 min · Randall Road
Use the left lane.
11

Turn right onto CR 17

3.3 mi · 5 min · Bowes Road
Use the right lane.
12

Turn left onto CR 80

1.7 mi · 2 min · Corron Road
13

Turn right onto McDonald Road

3.2 mi · 5 min · McDonald Road
14

Turn left onto IL 47

0.3 mi · 31 sec · IL 47
15

Enter roundabout onto IL 47

109 ft · 1 sec · IL 47
16

Continue on IL 47

2.9 mi · 3 min · IL 47
17

Arrive at destination

IL 47

Where to Stop

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

city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Elgin, IL

24 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

Elk Grove, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Barrington Hills, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 23.6 miles from Niles, 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 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 30.4 — 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
3.3 mi into trip | ~6m in | South Dee Road

Turn left onto South Dee Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
4.3 mi into trip | ~8m in | Devon Avenue

Turn right onto Devon Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
30.1 mi into trip | ~37m in

Take the exit toward Randall Road

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 52 Toward Randall Road
8
30.4 mi into trip | ~37m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Randall Road, Elgin

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the left lane. Toward Randall Road, Elgin

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.20 one way

$14.40 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 17 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $7.93 $15.86
premium $4.81 $8.93 $17.86
diesel $5.40 $10.04 $20.08

Estimated Tolls: $1.73

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (24.7 mi) $1.73

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Tolls

$2

Total

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 16.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 14.2 0 $4.96 $2.27
Efficient EV 11.8 0 $4.13 $1.89
EV Truck/SUV 18.9 0 $6.61 $3.02

Gas CO2

17 kg

EV CO2

6 kg (65% 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

Evening in Niles on Saturday

Local time

8:20 PM

CDT

Current temp

53°F

Mostly Sunny

NNE 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:36PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:36PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Lily Lake, IL

Evening in Lily Lake on Saturday

Local time

8:20 PM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Sunny

ENE 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:36PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:36PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

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

11 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 4m 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 drive has a highway share of 7%, meaning most of your time will be spent on surface roads. You'll experience a longest stretch of 24.7 miles on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway before transitioning to Randall Road and IL 47. Expect to encounter frequent intersections and traffic signals as you navigate the latter half of the route on surface streets. This shift from highway cruising to local road driving is quite noticeable.

Only 7% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 24.7 mi on Jane Addams Memorial 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

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 47.2 miles you will encounter 13 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 0.5 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles (South Dee Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (Devon Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.

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 Lily Lake, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Elgin along the way.

Elgin

30.4 mi in | ~37m

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 1h 4m. Total distance: 47.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 4m 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 24.7 miles on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.73 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 Lily 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: at 0.5 miles (West Touhy Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles (South Dee Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (Devon Avenue): 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 Lily 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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