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Trip from Schaumburg, IL to North Chicago, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 3, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

52m

Distance

36.2 mi

58 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 48m ★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m

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

Best Time
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village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Schaumburg, IL

Wikimedia Commons

city and suburb of Chicago, Illinois, USA

North Chicago, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Schaumburg, IL to North Chicago, IL is 36.2 miles and takes about 52 minutes via Tri-State Tollway and IL 53, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward trip entirely within Illinois, connecting two points in the Midwest. The route primarily uses major roads, making it a practical option for a quick commute or a short errand. With no overnight stay recommended, you can easily complete this drive within a single day.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 14.7 mi 17m
Palatine Road 6 mi 8m
IL 53 4.9 mi 6m
Buckley Road 2.9 mi 4m
West Higgins Road 2.7 mi 5m
Bobby E. Thompson Expressway 0.8 mi <1m
Willow Road 0.8 mi 1m
North Roselle Road 0.7 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 14.7 mi, about 17m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Schaumburg, IL and North Chicago, IL.

1

Start on North Pleasant Drive

426 ft · 20 sec · North Pleasant Drive
2

Turn right onto West Thacker Street

0.1 mi · 33 sec · West Thacker Street
3

Turn left onto North Roselle Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · North Roselle Road
4

Turn right onto IL 72

2.7 mi · 5 min · West Higgins Road
5

Turn left onto East Frontage Road

501 ft · 10 sec · East Frontage Road
Use the left lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward IL 53 North, I 290 West
7

Merge onto I 290; IL 53

0.3 mi · 22 sec · I 290; IL 53
8

Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53

4.9 mi · 6 min · IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward East Palatine Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Merge onto Palatine Road

6.0 mi · 8 min · Palatine Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Continue on Willow Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Willow Road
Use the straight lane.
12

Turn sharp left

383 ft · 11 sec
Toward I 294 Toll North: Wisconsin Use the left lane.
13

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 50 sec
Toward I 294 North: Wisconsin
14

Merge onto I 294

15 mi · 17 min · Tri-State Tollway
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Exit 13 Toward IL 137: Buckley Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Turn straight onto IL 137

2.9 mi · 4 min · Buckley Road
Use the left lane.
17

Turn left onto IL 137

0.8 mi · 59 sec · Bobby E. Thompson Expressway
Use the left / straight lanes.
18

Continue on IL 137

0.5 mi · 38 sec · Sheridan Road
19

Turn left onto Broadway

0.1 mi · 23 sec · Broadway
20

Turn right onto Park Avenue

208 ft · 9 sec · Park Avenue
21

Turn right onto Fellows Place

47 ft · 2 sec · Fellows Place
22

Arrive at destination

Fellows Place

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Des Plaines, IL

18 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

Waukegan, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Des Plaines, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 18.1 miles from Schaumburg, 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 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 3.6 and 31.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
3.6 mi into trip | ~7m in | East Frontage Road

Turn left onto East Frontage Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
4.2 mi into trip | ~8m in | IL 53

Keep slight left at fork onto IL 53

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
9.1 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward East Palatine Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward East Palatine Road
8
16.4 mi into trip | ~26m in

Turn sharp left toward I 294 Toll North: Wisconsin

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward I 294 Toll North: Wisconsin
7
31.5 mi into trip | ~44m in

Take the exit toward IL 137: Buckley Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 13 Toward IL 137: Buckley Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.61 one way

$11.22 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $6.15 $12.31
premium $4.93 $7.02 $14.05
diesel $5.60 $7.98 $15.96

Estimated Tolls: $0.88

Tri-state Tollway (14.7 mi) $0.88

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$1

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.9 0 $3.80 $1.74
Efficient EV 9.1 0 $3.17 $1.45
EV Truck/SUV 14.5 0 $5.07 $2.32

Gas CO2

13 kg

EV CO2

4 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.

Forecast as of Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Schaumburg, IL

Night in Schaumburg on Wednesday

Local time

9:26 PM

CDT

Current temp

75°F

Mostly Clear

SW 5 mph 8% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:03PM CDT until September 2 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 1:11PM CDT until September 3 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Destination

North Chicago, IL

Night in North Chicago on Wednesday

Local time

9:26 PM

CDT

Current temp

74°F

Mostly Clear

SW 5 mph 7% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:03PM CDT until September 2 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 1:11PM CDT until September 3 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Lincoln 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

1 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

52m 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 mostly surface roads, with only 17% on highways. You'll experience a 14.7-mile stretch on the Tri-State Tollway before transitioning to surface streets like Palatine Road and IL 53. Expect to navigate through areas with frequent intersections and local traffic as you move off the tollway. The latter portion of the drive will involve more typical suburban driving.

Only 17% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.7 mi on Tri-State Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 around 3.6 miles in near East Frontage Road.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 36.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 3.6 miles (East Frontage Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.2 miles (IL 53): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

789 ft 642 ft

Total Climb

62 ft

Total Descent

197 ft

Highest Point

789 ft

Elevation Range

147 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Schaumburg, IL

Full guide →

Schaumburg is a city in Chicagoland, best known for its ever popular Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in Illinois. Its name is derived from a place in Germany.

Arriving in North Chicago, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1892

North Chicago is a suburb in Chicagoland.

Top landmarks

  • • Naval Station Great Lakes — naval training base for the United States Navy, outside of Chicago, Illinois
  • • Dewey House — House in North 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 52m. Total distance: 36.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

52m 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 14.7 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.88 in tolls one way, starting with Tri-state Tollway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 North 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: at 3.6 miles (East Frontage Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.2 miles (IL 53): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at North 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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