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Trip from Park Ridge, IL to Buffalo Grove, 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

23m

Distance

12.9 mi

21 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 21m ★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m

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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city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Park Ridge, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Cook and Lake counties, Illinois, United States

Buffalo Grove, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Park Ridge, IL to Buffalo Grove, IL is 12.9 miles and takes about 23 minutes via North Elmhurst Road and Busse Highway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within Illinois, making it an easy connection for local travelers in the Midwest region. With no highway driving, expect a more local feel throughout the entire trip. This route is perfect for a quick errand, a short visit, or as a segment of a larger regional drive.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
North Elmhurst Road 3 mi 4m
Busse Highway 2.6 mi 4m
Rand Road 2.2 mi 3m
South Elmhurst Road 1.4 mi 2m
East Rand Road 1.4 mi 2m
McHenry Road 1.2 mi 2m
South Des Plaines River Road 0.6 mi 1m
North Greenwood Avenue 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: North Elmhurst Road — 3 mi, about 4m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Park Ridge, IL and Buffalo Grove, IL.

1

Start on this road

24 ft · 3 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto North Greenwood Avenue

0.3 mi · 55 sec · North Greenwood Avenue
3

Turn left onto Busse Highway

2.6 mi · 4 min · Busse Highway
4

At end of road, turn left onto US 14

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Miner Street
Use the left lane.
5

Turn right onto South Des Plaines River Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · South Des Plaines River Road
6

Turn left onto US 12

2.2 mi · 3 min · Rand Road
Use the left lane.
7

Continue on US 12

1.4 mi · 2 min · East Rand Road
8

Turn right onto IL 83

3.0 mi · 4 min · North Elmhurst Road
Use the right lane.
9

Continue on IL 83

1.4 mi · 2 min · South Elmhurst Road
10

Turn left onto IL 83

1.2 mi · 2 min · McHenry Road
Use the left lane.
11

Turn left onto Weiland Road

0.1 mi · 16 sec · Weiland Road
Use the left lane.
12

Turn slight right

157 ft · 6 sec
13

Turn slight right onto South Buffalo Grove Road

158 ft · 8 sec · South Buffalo Grove Road
14

Turn right onto Aptakisic Road

60 ft · 2 sec · Aptakisic Road
15

Arrive at destination

Aptakisic Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 12.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | North Greenwood Avenue

Turn right onto North Greenwood Avenue

Navigation decision point

6
3 mi into trip | ~5m in | US 14 / Miner Street

At end of road, turn left onto US 14 / Miner Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
3.7 mi into trip | ~7m in | US 12 / Rand Road

Turn left onto US 12 / Rand Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
11.6 mi into trip | ~20m in | IL 83 / McHenry Road

Turn left onto IL 83 / McHenry Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
12.9 mi into trip | ~22m in | Aptakisic Road

Turn right onto Aptakisic Road

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.97 one way

$3.94 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $2.17 $4.34
premium $4.81 $2.44 $4.88
diesel $5.40 $2.74 $5.49

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.9 0 $1.35 $0.62
Efficient EV 3.2 0 $1.13 $0.52
EV Truck/SUV 5.2 0 $1.81 $0.83

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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

Park Ridge, IL

Night in Park Ridge on Saturday

Local time

11:57 PM

CDT

Current temp

56°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

Buffalo Grove, IL

Night in Buffalo Grove on Saturday

Local time

11:57 PM

CDT

Current temp

59°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

3 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

23m 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 is entirely on surface roads, with a 0% highway share. You'll spend most of your time navigating local streets, with the longest continuous stretch on North Elmhurst Road covering 3 miles. Expect typical suburban traffic patterns as you move between these two Illinois towns. The transition from one road to the next will feel like standard city driving.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3 mi on North Elmhurst Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near North Greenwood Avenue.

Driving Effort 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 12.9 miles you will encounter 8 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 (North Greenwood Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (US 14 / Miner Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles (US 12 / Rand Road): Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Park Ridge, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1873

Park Ridge is a city in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicagoland, just outside of Chicago. It has a lively uptown area that has plenty of local businesses and restaurants. You can watch a film at the historic Pickwick Theatre or have a pool day at Centennial Park. Park Ridge is a great and accessible small town to escape to for a day trip, with lots of fun and exciting activities to fill your schedule.

Top landmarks

  • • Pickwick Theatre — movie theatre in Park Ridge, Illinois, United States
  • • Park Ridge Youth Campus — former school/orphanage in Park Ridge, Illinois

Arriving in Buffalo Grove, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1958

Buffalo Grove is a village in Chicagoland, in both Lake and Cook counties, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

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 23m. Total distance: 12.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

23m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 3 miles on North Elmhurst Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 (North Greenwood Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (US 14 / Miner Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles (US 12 / Rand 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 Buffalo Grove, 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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