Origin
Palatine, IL
Evening in Palatine on Tuesday
Local time
5:02 PM
CDT
Current temp
80°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Palatine, IL to Wood Dale, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
12.5 mi
20 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Palatine, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Wood Dale, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Palatine, IL to Wood Dale, IL covers 12.5 miles and takes about 20m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on IL 53, Prospect Avenue, Biesterfield Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.7 miles on IL 53. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.94 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| IL 53 | 5.7 mi | 7m |
| Prospect Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Biesterfield Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Hicks Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Irving Park Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| South Arlington Heights Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North Arlington Heights Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East Northwest Highway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
IL 53
— 5.7 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Palatine, IL and Wood Dale, IL.
1
Start on East Palatine Road
73 ft
·
5 sec
·
East Palatine Road
2
Turn right onto US 14
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
East Northwest Highway
3
Turn right onto Hicks Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Hicks Road
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto Euclid Avenue
66 ft
·
1 sec
·
Euclid Avenue
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward IL 53 South
6
Merge onto IL 53
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
IL 53
7
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53
4.6 mi
·
6 min
·
IL 53
Toward I 290 East: Chicago, Biesterfield Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit onto IL 53
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
IL 53
Exit 4
Toward IL 53 South: Biesterfield Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn left onto IL 53
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Biesterfield Road
10
Turn right onto South Arlington Heights Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South Arlington Heights Road
Use the left lane.
11
Continue on North Arlington Heights Road
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
North Arlington Heights Road
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on Prospect Avenue
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Prospect Avenue
Use the straight lane.
13
Turn left onto IL 19
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Irving Park Road
Use the left lane.
14
Arrive at destination
IL 19
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 8.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Hicks Road
Turn right onto Hicks Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Euclid Avenue
Turn left onto Euclid Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
8
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
IL 53
Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53 toward I 290 East: Chicago, Biesterfield Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 290 East: Chicago, Biesterfield Road
7
7.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
IL 53
Take the exit onto IL 53 toward IL 53 South: Biesterfield Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 4
Toward IL 53 South: Biesterfield Road
6
8.8 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
South Arlington Heights Road
Turn right onto South Arlington Heights Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.94 one way
$3.88 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $2.13 | $4.25 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.43 | $4.85 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $2.76 | $5.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.31 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.75 | $0.80 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Wood Dale, IL
Evening in Wood Dale on Tuesday
Local time
5:02 PM
CDT
Current temp
81°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
1 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
20m 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?
12.5 mi in 20m — 46% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: IL 53.
46% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.7 mi on IL 53.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 around 0.3 miles in near Hicks Road.
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 9 decision points packed into just 12.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 20m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Hicks Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (Euclid Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (IL 53): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
743 ft
691 ft
Total Climb
33 ft
Total Descent
81 ft
Highest Point
743 ft
~3.6 mi in
Elevation Range
52 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Palatine, IL
Full guide →Arriving in Wood Dale, IL
Full guide →Founded 1928
Wood Dale is a city in the Chicagoland region 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 20m. Total distance: 12.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (46%). 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 5.7 miles on IL 53. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Wood Dale, 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 0.3 miles (Hicks Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.6 miles (Euclid Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (IL 53): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 Wood Dale, 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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