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Trip from Riverside, IL to Niles, 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

30m

Distance

14.2 mi

23 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 8 min
4 AM
0h 28m ★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m

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

Riverside, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Niles, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Riverside, IL to Niles, IL is 14.2 miles and takes about 30m via 1st Avenue Cutoff and North Harlem Avenue, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region and the state of Illinois, making it a straightforward local excursion. You'll primarily be navigating surface streets, so expect typical suburban traffic patterns rather than highway speeds. It's a quick hop that doesn't require extensive planning, perfect for a spontaneous drive or adding to a longer day of local exploration.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
1st Avenue Cutoff 5.4 mi 11m
North Harlem Avenue 4.5 mi 9m
West Forest Preserve Drive 1.8 mi 3m
Des Plaines Avenue 1 mi 2m
North Thatcher Avenue 0.8 mi 1m
Cermak Road 0.3 mi <1m
North Cumberland Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
West Howard Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: 1st Avenue Cutoff — 5.4 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Riverside, IL and Niles, IL.

1

Start on Woodside Road

52 ft · 8 sec · Woodside Road
2

Continue on Woodside Road

244 ft · 9 sec · Woodside Road
3

Continue on Des Plaines Avenue

1.0 mi · 2 min · Des Plaines Avenue
4

Turn left onto Cermak Road

0.3 mi · 25 sec · Cermak Road
Use the left lane.
5

Turn slight right onto 1st Avenue Cutoff

5.4 mi · 11 min · 1st Avenue Cutoff
Use the right lane.
6

Continue on IL 171

0.8 mi · 1 min · North Thatcher Avenue
7

Continue on IL 171

0.2 mi · 28 sec · North Cumberland Avenue
8

Turn right onto West Forest Preserve Drive

1.8 mi · 3 min · West Forest Preserve Drive
Use the left lane.
9

Turn left onto IL 43

4.5 mi · 9 min · North Harlem Avenue
Use the left lane.
10

Turn right onto West Howard Street

0.2 mi · 23 sec · West Howard Street
11

Turn right onto North Waukegan Road

14 ft · 0 sec · North Waukegan Road
Use the right lane.
12

Arrive at destination

North Waukegan Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 14.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

3
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Woodside Road

Continue onto Woodside Road

Navigation decision point

6
1.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | Cermak Road

Turn left onto Cermak Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
7.8 mi into trip | ~17m in | West Forest Preserve Drive

Turn right onto West Forest Preserve Drive

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
9.5 mi into trip | ~20m in | IL 43 / North Harlem Avenue

Turn left onto IL 43 / North Harlem Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
14.2 mi into trip | ~30m in | North Waukegan Road

Turn right onto North Waukegan Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.17 one way

$4.33 round trip

$3.88/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.27 $2.39 $4.77
premium $4.81 $2.69 $5.37
diesel $5.40 $3.02 $6.04

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 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 4.3 0 $1.49 $0.68
Efficient EV 3.6 0 $1.24 $0.57
EV Truck/SUV 5.7 0 $1.99 $0.91

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

Riverside, IL

Evening in Riverside on Saturday

Local time

8:18 PM

CDT

Current temp

48°F

Patchy Fog

N 10 mph 22% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:40AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:39AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Niles, IL

Evening in Niles on Saturday

Local time

8:18 PM

CDT

Current temp

48°F

Patchy Fog

N 15 mph 22% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:40AM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 4:39AM 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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

30m 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 route is entirely on surface roads, with zero highway driving. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 5.4 miles on 1st Avenue Cutoff. You'll notice the consistent speed limits and frequent intersections typical of driving through built-up suburban areas. Expect to navigate through neighborhoods and commercial zones for the entire 14.2-mile distance.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.4 mi on 1st Avenue Cutoff.

How Hard Is This Drive?

4/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Woodside Road.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 30m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Woodside Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (Cermak Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (West Forest Preserve Drive): Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Arriving 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 30m. Total distance: 14.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

30m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 5.4 miles on 1st Avenue Cutoff. 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.

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 (Woodside Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (Cermak Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (West Forest Preserve Drive): 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 Niles, 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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