Origin
Waukegan, IL
Morning in Waukegan on Sunday
Local time
7:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waukegan, IL to Round Lake Heights, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
14.4 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
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Round Lake Heights, IL
Tom Fisk
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick commute or local excursion between Waukegan and Round Lake Heights, you are looking at a brief 14.4-mile journey. Expect to spend about 26 minutes behind the wheel, making this a perfect candidate for a single-day trip that requires no overnight stay. Navigating through the Midwest, your path relies entirely on local roads rather than interstates, keeping your fuel budget minimal at just $2. Because the route is short and direct, it offers a straightforward transit experience across Illinois. This trip is ideal for those who prefer staying off the highway and sticking to familiar local thoroughfares.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Avenue | 8.2 mi | 14m |
| Rollins Road | 3.5 mi | 5m |
| East Rollins Road | 2.4 mi | 5m |
| North Jackson Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Brentwood Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Tomahawk Trail | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Grand Avenue
— 8.2 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waukegan, IL and Round Lake Heights, IL.
1
Start on North Jackson Street
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
North Jackson Street
2
Turn left onto Grand Avenue
8.2 mi
·
14 min
·
Grand Avenue
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto Rollins Road
3.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Rollins Road
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on East Rollins Road
2.4 mi
·
5 min
·
East Rollins Road
5
Turn right onto Brentwood Drive
360 ft
·
16 sec
·
Brentwood Drive
6
Turn right onto Tomahawk Trail
50 ft
·
2 sec
·
Tomahawk Trail
7
Arrive at destination
Tomahawk Trail
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 14.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Grand Avenue
Turn left onto Grand Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
8.4 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Rollins Road
Turn left onto Rollins Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
14.3 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
Brentwood Drive
Turn right onto Brentwood Drive
Navigation decision point
4
14.4 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
Tomahawk Trail
Turn right onto Tomahawk Trail
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.25 one way
$4.50 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.47 | $4.94 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.77 | $5.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.18 | $6.36 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| Efficient EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.02 | $0.92 |
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.
Destination
Round Lake Heights, IL
Morning in Round Lake Heights on Sunday
Local time
7:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
66°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
4 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
26m 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 14.4-mile drive is a turn-heavy local experience that avoids highways entirely, meaning you will have zero percent highway share for the duration of the trip. You can anticipate a steady flow of local traffic as you navigate via Grand Avenue, Rollins Road, and East Rollins Road. The most significant portion of your journey occurs on Grand Avenue, which provides your longest uninterrupted stretch at 8.2 miles. Since the profile is defined by frequent turns, you should stay alert as you transition between these local arteries. It is a practical, functional drive that requires your full attention on navigating intersections rather than maintaining high-speed highway cruising.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.2 mi on Grand Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
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 0.3 miles in near Grand Avenue.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 26m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Grand Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.4 miles (Rollins Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.3 miles (Brentwood Drive): Navigation decision point.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
813 ft
654 ft
Total Climb
260 ft
Total Descent
127 ft
Highest Point
813 ft
~12.6 mi in
Elevation Range
160 ft
About the Cities
Starting 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 26m. Total distance: 14.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.2 miles on Grand Avenue. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 (Grand Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.4 miles (Rollins Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.3 miles (Brentwood Drive): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Round Lake Heights, 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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