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Trip from Winthrop Harbor, IL to Arlington Heights, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

58m

Distance

38.1 mi

61 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 14 min
4 AM
0h 54m ★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 2m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 55m

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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Downtown Winthrop Harbor, IL, IL

Winthrop Harbor, IL

Tom Fisk

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States; suburb of Chicago, Illinois

Arlington Heights, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This 42.1-mile drive from Winthrop Harbor to Arlington Heights in Illinois is a straightforward trip that can easily be completed in about 51 minutes. Designed as a single-day adventure, this route is budget-friendly with an estimated fuel cost of just $6. You'll be navigating local roads for the entirety of this journey, so expect a more engaged driving experience. This drive is well within the Midwest region, connecting two points within the same state, making it a simple point-to-point excursion. Given its short duration, it's perfect for a quick trip without the need for an overnight stay.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 14.5 mi 16m
Sheridan Road 6.6 mi 14m
IL 137 5.5 mi 7m
Palatine Road 5 mi 7m
Buckley Road 3 mi 4m
North Arlington Heights Road 1.5 mi 3m
Willow Road 0.8 mi 1m
West Greenwood Avenue 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 14.5 mi, about 16m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Winthrop Harbor, IL and Arlington Heights, IL.

1

Start on IL 137

6.6 mi · 14 min · Sheridan Road
2

Turn left onto IL 137

0.3 mi · 31 sec · West Greenwood Avenue
Use the left lane.
3

Take the ramp onto IL 137

5.5 mi · 7 min · IL 137
Toward IL 137 Use the right lane.
4

Turn right onto IL 137

3.0 mi · 4 min · Buckley Road
Use the left lane.
5

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 52 sec
Toward I 94 Toll East: Chicago Use the left lane.
6

Merge onto I 94

11 mi · 12 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294

3.5 mi · 4 min · Tri-State Tollway
Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare Use the slight right lane.
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Exit 48 Toward Willow Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Exit 48
10

Turn right onto Willow Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Willow Road
Use the right lane.
11

Continue on Palatine Road

5.0 mi · 7 min · Palatine Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Turn left onto North Arlington Heights Road

1.5 mi · 3 min · North Arlington Heights Road
Use the left lane.
13

Turn right onto East Euclid Avenue

48 ft · 1 sec · East Euclid Avenue
14

Arrive at destination

East Euclid Avenue

Where to Stop

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

city and suburb of Chicago, Illinois, USA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

North Chicago, IL

19 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

Rolling Meadows, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 38 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

North Chicago, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 19 miles from Winthrop Harbor, 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 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 6.9 and 30.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
6.9 mi into trip | ~14m in | IL 137

Take the ramp onto IL 137 toward IL 137

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward IL 137
6
12.4 mi into trip | ~21m in | IL 137 / Buckley Road

Turn right onto IL 137 / Buckley Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
8
26.8 mi into trip | ~40m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare
7
30.4 mi into trip | ~44m in

Take the exit toward Willow Road

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 48 Toward Willow Road
6
30.6 mi into trip | ~45m in

Keep slight right at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Exit 48

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.96 one way

$11.91 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $6.54 $13.08
premium $4.89 $7.33 $14.66
diesel $5.61 $8.41 $16.82

Estimated Tolls: $0.87

Tri-state Tollway (14.5 mi) $0.87

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

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 13.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

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

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 11.4 0 $4.00 $1.83
Efficient EV 9.5 0 $3.33 $1.52
EV Truck/SUV 15.2 0 $5.33 $2.44

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 Apr 18, 2026

Origin

Winthrop Harbor, IL

Morning in Winthrop Harbor on Tuesday

Local time

10:23 AM

CDT

Current temp

42°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

SW 10 to 20 mph 100% chance Live forecast

Special Weather Statement

Special Weather Statement issued April 17 at 11:24PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 17 at 11:24PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Arlington Heights, IL

Morning in Arlington Heights on Tuesday

Local time

10:23 AM

CDT

Current temp

63°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

21 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

58m 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?

Prepare for a 'turn-heavy local drive' for this entire 42.1-mile stretch, as indicated by the 0% highway share. There's no longest uninterrupted stretch to note, meaning you'll be consistently navigating through towns and intersections. This route won't offer long, monotonous highway miles; instead, you'll be directly experiencing the local road network for the full 51 minutes. The character of the drive will be one of constant engagement with traffic signals and turns, offering a direct feel for the communities you pass through.

Only 15% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.5 mi on Tri-State Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

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 6.9 miles in near IL 137.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 38.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 58m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 6.9 miles (IL 137): Lane positioning matters here; at 12.4 miles (IL 137 / Buckley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 26.8 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Winthrop Harbor, IL to Arlington Heights, IL, road signs begin pointing toward O'hare along the way.

O'hare

26.8 mi in | ~40m | via I 294

About the Cities

Arriving in Arlington Heights, IL

Full guide →

Arlington Heights is a city in northeastern Chicagoland. The 2010 Census put the population at 75,101, the largest for a village in the United States. Arlington Heights is known for the Arlington Park Race Track as well as a large Japanese community, third in the state behind neighboring Schaumburg and Chicago proper. Some notable people have come from the village as well, including Walter Payton, Ted Nugent, and Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald's).

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 58m. Total distance: 38.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

58m 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 14.5 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.87 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 Arlington Heights, 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 6.9 miles (IL 137): Lane positioning matters here; at 12.4 miles (IL 137 / Buckley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 26.8 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Arlington 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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