Origin
Rockford, IL
Night in Rockford on Saturday
Local time
11:49 PM
CDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Rockford, IL to Prairie Grove, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 17m
Distance
46.4 mi
75 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 11m
★
6 AM
1h 17m
8 AM
1h 29m
10 AM
1h 21m
12 PM
1h 20m
3 PM
1h 22m
5 PM
1h 29m
8 PM
1h 13m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Rockford, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Prairie Grove, IL
Andrew Patrick Photo
Trip Overview
Rockford to Prairie Grove is 46.4 miles and takes about 1 hour 17 minutes via U.S. Grant Memorial Highway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Illinois, traversing familiar Midwest terrain. It's a straightforward drive, mostly on surface roads, making it a good option for a relaxed excursion. With few stops and a short duration, you'll find plenty of flexibility in planning your departure and arrival.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Grant Memorial Highway | 13.4 mi | 20m |
| Telegraph Street | 9 mi | 12m |
| IL 176 | 8.1 mi | 14m |
| West Grant Highway | 5 mi | 7m |
| West State Street | 3.4 mi | 6m |
| Charles Street | 2.8 mi | 5m |
| Barreville Road | 1.5 mi | 4m |
| South Alpine Road | 1 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
— 13.4 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Rockford, IL and Prairie Grove, IL.
1
Start on West State Street
3.4 mi
·
6 min
·
West State Street
2
Turn right onto South Alpine Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
South Alpine Road
3
Continue on South Alpine Road
359 ft
·
14 sec
·
South Alpine Road
4
Turn right
87 ft
·
3 sec
5
Turn right onto Charles Street
2.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Charles Street
6
Turn right onto South Mall Drive
388 ft
·
19 sec
·
South Mall Drive
7
Turn left onto Harrison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Harrison Avenue
8
Continue on US 20
13 mi
·
20 min
·
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
9
Continue on US 20
5.0 mi
·
7 min
·
West Grant Highway
10
Turn left onto IL 23
0.5 mi
·
43 sec
·
South State Street
11
Turn right onto IL 176
9.0 mi
·
12 min
·
Telegraph Street
12
Turn right onto IL 47
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
IL 47
Use the right lane.
13
Turn left onto IL 176
8.1 mi
·
14 min
·
IL 176
14
Turn left onto Barreville Road
1.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Barreville Road
15
Arrive at destination
Barreville Road
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
23 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 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 23.2 miles from Rockford, 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 85 decision points cluster between mile 3.4 and 35.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
3.4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
South Alpine Road
Turn right onto South Alpine Road
Navigation decision point
4
4.4 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
3
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
Charles Street
Turn right onto Charles Street
Navigation decision point
4
26.5 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
IL 23 / South State Street
Turn left onto IL 23 / South State Street
Navigation decision point
5
35.9 mi into trip
|
~56m in
|
IL 47
Turn right onto IL 47
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.25 one way
$14.51 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
16 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $7.96 | $15.93 |
| premium | $4.89 | $8.93 | $17.86 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.24 | $20.49 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13.9 | 0 | $4.87 | $2.23 |
| Efficient EV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.06 | $1.86 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18.6 | 0 | $6.50 | $2.97 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% 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
Prairie Grove, IL
Night in Prairie Grove on Saturday
Local time
11:49 PM
CDT
Current temp
68°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
19 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
1h 17m 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?
This route consists of 19% highway driving, with the longest continuous stretch on U.S. Grant Memorial Highway covering 13.4 miles. After this, you'll transition to surface roads for the majority of your travel. Expect to navigate through local streets and thoroughfares for the bulk of the 46.4-mile trip. This means you'll likely encounter more varied traffic patterns and intersections typical of non-highway travel.
Only 19% 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: 13.4 mi on U.S. Grant Memorial Highway.
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 around 3.4 miles in near South Alpine 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 1h 17m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.4 miles (South Alpine Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles (Charles Street): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Prairie Grove, IL
Full guide →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 17m. Total distance: 46.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (19%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.4 miles on U.S. Grant Memorial Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas 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: at 3.4 miles (South Alpine Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles (Charles Street): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Prairie 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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