334 miles, about 4 hr 59 min of driving. Here are the real towns worth stopping in between Des Moines, IA and Chicago, IL, and why each one earned it.
Named for your own departure time and driving style when you plan the trip — your first full plan is free.
Name every stop — first trip free
No card for the first trip. After that it's 99¢ for three trips, or $2.99 a month.
Every stop is a real town on your actual route — not a chain billboard. We score towns on what a driver needs at that point in the drive: fuel and food for a stretch break, parks and grass when a pet is along, hotels and restaurants when it's an overnight. Detour distance counts against a town, so nothing here costs you a long side trip.
This page is planned for a 9-hour driving day leaving at 8:00 AM. Change any of that — your hours, your MPG, pets, small children, an EV's charging range — and the stops change with it. Plan Des Moines to Chicago your way →
How far is Des Moines, IA to Chicago, IL?
About 334 miles, roughly 4 hr 59 min of driving before stops.
Can you drive Des Moines to Chicago in one day?
Yes — one long day at 9 hours of driving.
Where is a good place to stop between Des Moines and Chicago?
Iowa City, IA is the first one on this route.