Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Palos Heights, IL to Chicago, IL

Pin this trip

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

31m

Distance

18.4 mi

30 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 8 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Palos Heights, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown chicago-il

Chicago, IL

Otoniel Alvarado

Trip Overview

This short 18.4-mile drive from Palos Heights, IL to Chicago, IL will take you about 31 minutes, making it a perfect option for a single-day trip. You'll navigate primarily via South Cicero Avenue and the Stevenson Expressway, with a small portion on Southwest Highway. With a low estimated fuel cost of just $3, this route is budget-friendly. The Midwest region offers a familiar landscape for this journey within Illinois. Its turn-heavy local drive profile means you'll be making frequent adjustments, so be prepared for an engaging experience.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
South Cicero Avenue 6.5 mi 10m
Stevenson Expressway 2.9 mi 3m
Southwest Highway 2.5 mi 3m
Harlem Avenue 2.1 mi 3m
West 93rd Street 1.2 mi 1m
West Cermak Road 0.8 mi 1m
South Damen Avenue 0.8 mi 1m
South Blue Island Avenue 0.6 mi 1m
Longest stretch: South Cicero Avenue — 6.5 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Palos Heights, IL and Chicago, IL.

1

Start on this road

41 ft · 5 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto West 123rd Street

50 ft · 5 sec · West 123rd Street
3

Turn right onto IL 43

2.1 mi · 3 min · Harlem Avenue
4

Turn right onto Southwest Highway

2.5 mi · 3 min · Southwest Highway
Use the right lane.
5

Continue on West 93rd Street

1.2 mi · 1 min · West 93rd Street
6

Turn left onto IL 50

6.5 mi · 10 min · South Cicero Avenue
Use the left lane.
7

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 56 sec
Toward I 55 North: Chicago
8

Merge onto I 55

2.9 mi · 3 min · Stevenson Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 24 sec
Exit 290 Toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward Damen Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight left at fork

440 ft · 12 sec
Toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue Use the left lane.
12

Turn straight onto South Damen Avenue

0.8 mi · 1 min · South Damen Avenue
13

Turn right onto South Blue Island Avenue

0.6 mi · 1 min · South Blue Island Avenue
14

Turn right onto West Cermak Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · West Cermak Road
15

Turn right

152 ft · 11 sec
16

Turn right

0.2 mi · 58 sec
17

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 16 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | West 123rd Street

Turn right onto West 123rd Street

Navigation decision point

5
2.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | Southwest Highway

Turn right onto Southwest Highway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
8
15.5 mi into trip | ~24m in

Take the exit toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 290 Toward Damen Avenue, Ashland Avenue
8
15.7 mi into trip | ~25m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Damen Avenue

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Damen Avenue
9
16 mi into trip | ~25m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue

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

Use the left lane. Toward Ashland Market Place, South Damen Avenue

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.88 one way

$5.75 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.16 $6.32
premium $4.89 $3.54 $7.08
diesel $5.61 $4.06 $8.12

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.4 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 5.5 0 $1.93 $0.88
Efficient EV 4.6 0 $1.61 $0.74
EV Truck/SUV 7.4 0 $2.58 $1.18

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.

Forecast as of Apr 18, 2026

Origin

Palos Heights, IL

Morning in Palos Heights on Tuesday

Local time

8:54 AM

CDT

Current temp

50°F

Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy

WNW 15 to 20 mph 20% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 5:50AM CDT until April 21 at 4:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 5:48AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Chicago, IL

Morning in Chicago on Tuesday

Local time

8:54 AM

CDT

Current temp

61°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

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

31m 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?

Expect a "turn-heavy local drive" for this 18.4-mile trip. Only 16% of this route utilizes highway driving, meaning you'll spend most of your time on surface streets. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6.5 miles on South Cicero Avenue. As you progress, the roads will likely shift from more suburban stretches to the busier urban environment of Chicago. This drive demands your attention with frequent turns and changes in traffic patterns, rather than long, open highway cruising.

Only 16% 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: 6.5 mi on South Cicero Avenue.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

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 early in the drive near West 123rd Street.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 18.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 123rd Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (Southwest Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

About the Cities

Starting in Palos Heights, IL

Full guide →

Palos Heights (also known simply as Palos) is a town in Chicago's southern suburbs with a large Muslim minority.

Arriving in Chicago, IL

Full guide →

Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.

Top landmarks

  • • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
  • • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
  • • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs

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 31m. Total distance: 18.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

31m 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 6.5 miles on South Cicero Avenue. 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 Chicago, 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 (West 123rd Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (Southwest Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.5 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 Chicago, 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Continue From Chicago, IL

Burton, IL 313.7 mi · 5h 57m Quincy, IL 309.6 mi · 5h 53m Adams, IL 299.3 mi · 5h 54m Alorton, IL 292.7 mi · 5h 30m

More from Palos Heights, IL

Peoria, IL 152 mi · 2h 56m Champaign, IL 119.8 mi · 2h 19m Rockford, IL 97.2 mi · 1h 58m Aurora, IL 33.1 mi · 56m

More trips to Chicago, IL

Rosiclare, IL 360 mi Anna, IL 345.1 mi Mount Pleasant, IL 343.6 mi Saline, IL 341.9 mi Campton, IL 339.8 mi Buena Vista, IL 338.2 mi
Escape planner: Palos Heights, IL Scenic drives in IL

Explore more options from Palos Heights, IL or browse trips ending in Chicago, IL.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.