Origin
Tower Lake, IL
Morning in Tower Lake on Tuesday
Local time
9:38 AM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Tower Lake, IL to Chicago, 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 6m
Distance
41.9 mi
67 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 1m
★
6 AM
1h 6m
8 AM
1h 17m
10 AM
1h 10m
12 PM
1h 9m
3 PM
1h 11m
5 PM
1h 16m
8 PM
1h 3m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Tower Lake, IL
椰椰 圆
Chicago, IL
Otoniel Alvarado
Trip Overview
This 41.9-mile drive from Tower Lake to Chicago, Illinois, is easily manageable as a single-day trip, typically taking about 1 hour and 6 minutes. You'll navigate primarily on Rand Road and the Kennedy Expressway, with 37% of the journey on highways. The estimated fuel cost for this route is around $7, making it an economical option for a quick excursion. Given its relatively short distance and mixed driving profile, it’s well-suited for a day trip without the need for an overnight stay. This drive takes you from one part of the Midwest to another, staying within the state of Illinois.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Expressway | 8.1 mi | 11m |
| North Rand Road | 4.5 mi | 7m |
| Rand Road | 4.4 mi | 5m |
| Milwaukee Avenue | 4.4 mi | 6m |
| Palatine Road | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| North Milwaukee Avenue | 3.7 mi | 6m |
| IL 59 | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| North Caldwell Avenue | 2.4 mi | 3m |
Longest stretch:
Kennedy Expressway
— 8.1 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Tower Lake, IL and Chicago, IL.
1
Start on East Tower Drive
0.2 mi
·
57 sec
·
East Tower Drive
2
Turn straight onto North Gateway Drive
305 ft
·
15 sec
·
North Gateway Drive
3
Turn right onto Essex Drive
75 ft
·
5 sec
·
Essex Drive
4
Turn right onto IL 59
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
IL 59
Use the right lane.
5
Turn left onto IL 22
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
State Route 22
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on IL 22
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
West Main Street
7
Turn right onto US 12
4.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Rand Road
Use the left lane.
8
Continue on US 12
4.5 mi
·
7 min
·
North Rand Road
9
Turn left onto Palatine Road
3.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Palatine Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
343 ft
·
9 sec
Toward US 45, IL 21: Milwaukee Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn straight onto East Palatine Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Palatine Road
12
Turn right onto US 45; IL 21
4.4 mi
·
6 min
·
Milwaukee Avenue
13
Continue on IL 21
3.7 mi
·
6 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
14
Turn left onto West Touhy Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Touhy Avenue
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto US 14
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
North Caldwell Avenue
16
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 94 East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Merge onto I 94
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Edens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Continue on I 90; I 94
8.1 mi
·
11 min
·
Kennedy Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
19
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Dan Ryan Expressway
20
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Use the slight right lane.
21
Turn slight left onto South Union Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Union Avenue
22
Turn right onto South Canalport Avenue
505 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Canalport Avenue
23
Turn left onto South Halsted Street
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Halsted Street
24
Turn right onto West Cermak Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
West Cermak Road
25
Turn left
152 ft
·
11 sec
26
Turn right
0.2 mi
·
58 sec
27
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 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 41.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21 miles from Tower Lake, 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 175 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 40.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Essex Drive
Turn right onto Essex Drive
Navigation decision point
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
IL 59
Turn right onto IL 59
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
3.6 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
IL 22 / State Route 22
Turn left onto IL 22 / State Route 22
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
17.7 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the exit toward US 45, IL 21: Milwaukee Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward US 45, IL 21: Milwaukee Avenue
7
40.9 mi into trip
|
~1h 3m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 52C
Toward 18th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.55 one way
$13.10 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $7.19 | $14.38 |
| premium | $4.89 | $8.06 | $16.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.25 | $18.50 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.6 | 0 | $4.40 | $2.01 |
| Efficient EV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.67 | $1.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.8 | 0 | $5.87 | $2.68 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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
Chicago, IL
Morning in Chicago on Tuesday
Local time
9:38 AM
CDT
Current temp
61°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
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
1h 6m 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?
Expect a mixed driving experience on this route, blending highway speeds with more local road conditions. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 8.1 miles along the Kennedy Expressway, offering a taste of faster travel. As you transition onto North Rand Road and Rand Road, the character shifts to a more mixed drive, likely involving more intersections and variable speed limits. This change in pace means you’ll need to be adaptable behind the wheel, switching between maintaining highway momentum and navigating more urban or suburban thoroughfares.
37% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
27 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.1 mi on Kennedy Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 17 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Essex Drive.
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 41.9 miles you will encounter 17 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: at 0.3 miles (Essex Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (IL 59): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles (IL 22 / State Route 22): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Chicago, IL
Full guide →Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities and the third largest city in the United States, behind only New York City and Los Angeles. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.
Top landmarks
- • Willis Tower — skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois
- • Art Institute of Chicago — art museum and school in Chicago, United States
- • Wrigley Field — baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, USA; home venue of the Chicago Cubs
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 6m. Total distance: 41.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 6m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (37%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.1 miles on Kennedy Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 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 0.3 miles (Essex Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (IL 59): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles (IL 22 / State Route 22): 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 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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