Origin
Riley, IL
Late night in Riley on Tuesday
Local time
5:44 AM
CDT
Current temp
65°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Riley, IL to Waukegan, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 24m
Distance
52.1 mi
84 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 18m
★
6 AM
1h 25m
8 AM
1h 38m
10 AM
1h 30m
12 PM
1h 28m
3 PM
1h 30m
5 PM
1h 37m
8 PM
1h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Trip Overview
Riley, IL to Waukegan, IL is 52.1 miles and takes about 1 hour 24 minutes via West Belvidere Road, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Illinois, moving from one Midwest locale to another. Expect a fairly straightforward drive that doesn't demand extensive planning. It's a good option if you need to cover this distance without a significant time commitment or a large fuel expense. Consider this route for a practical, no-frills transit between these two points.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Belvidere Road | 10.5 mi | 16m |
| Telegraph Street | 9 mi | 12m |
| IL 176 | 7.1 mi | 12m |
| Belvidere Road | 6.3 mi | 9m |
| IL 31 | 5.1 mi | 8m |
| South State Street | 4.7 mi | 7m |
| Belvidere Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Charles J Miller Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
West Belvidere Road
— 10.5 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Riley, IL and Waukegan, IL.
1
Start on Riley Road
144 ft
·
9 sec
·
Riley Road
2
Turn right onto Anthony Road
0.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Anthony Road
3
Turn left onto IL 23
4.7 mi
·
7 min
·
South State Street
4
Turn right onto IL 176
9.0 mi
·
12 min
·
Telegraph Street
5
Turn right onto IL 47
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
IL 47
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto IL 176
7.1 mi
·
12 min
·
IL 176
7
Turn left onto IL 31
5.1 mi
·
8 min
·
IL 31
8
Turn right onto A32
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
·
Bull Valley Road
9
Continue on A32
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Charles J Miller Road
10
At end of road, turn left onto V45
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
South River Road
Use the straight lane.
11
Continue on V45
0.7 mi
·
58 sec
·
Chapel Hill Road
Use the straight lane.
12
Turn slight right
208 ft
·
5 sec
Use the right lane.
13
Turn straight onto IL 120
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
West Elm Street
14
Continue on IL 120
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Rand Road
15
Continue on IL 120
10 mi
·
16 min
·
West Belvidere Road
Use the right lane.
16
Continue on IL 120
6.3 mi
·
9 min
·
Belvidere Road
Use the left lane.
17
Continue on IL 120
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Belvidere Street
18
Turn left onto Glen Rock Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Glen Rock Avenue
Use the left lane.
19
Turn left onto South Jackson Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Jackson Street
20
Arrive at destination
North Jackson Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
26 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 26 miles from Riley, 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 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 51.1 — 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
|
Anthony Road
Turn right onto Anthony Road
Navigation decision point
4
0.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
IL 23 / South State Street
Turn left onto IL 23 / South State Street
Navigation decision point
5
14.5 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
IL 47
Turn right onto IL 47
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
28.9 mi into trip
|
~47m in
|
V45 / South River Road
At end of road, turn left onto V45 / South River Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
51.1 mi into trip
|
~1h 22m in
|
Glen Rock Avenue
Turn left onto Glen Rock Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.15 one way
$16.29 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
18 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $8.94 | $17.89 |
| premium | $4.89 | $10.03 | $20.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.50 | $23.01 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.6 | 0 | $5.47 | $2.50 |
| Efficient EV | 13 | 0 | $4.56 | $2.08 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 20.8 | 0 | $7.29 | $3.33 |
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 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.
Destination
Waukegan, IL
Late night in Waukegan on Tuesday
Local time
5:44 AM
CDT
Current temp
58°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
7 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 24m 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?
About 25% of this 52.1-mile drive is on highways, meaning you'll spend roughly 13 miles on faster roads before transitioning to surface streets. The longest continuous stretch on one road is 10.5 miles along West Belvidere Road. You'll likely notice a shift from more open cruising to navigating through more developed areas as you get closer to Waukegan. Expect to encounter more intersections and traffic signals after leaving the highway portion.
Only 25% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.5 mi on West Belvidere Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Anthony Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 52.1 miles you will encounter 10 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 (Anthony Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (IL 23 / South State Street): Navigation decision point; at 14.5 miles (IL 47): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Waukegan, IL
Full guide →Waukegan is in the Far North Suburbs of the Chicagoland region of Illinois. It sits on Lake Michigan, has a large harbor, and is the county seat of Lake County, 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 24m. Total distance: 52.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.5 miles on West Belvidere Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza 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 Waukegan, 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 (Anthony Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (IL 23 / South State Street): Navigation decision point; at 14.5 miles (IL 47): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Waukegan, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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