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Trip from Elgin, IL to Medinah, 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

21m

Distance

14.6 mi

24 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 20m ★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 21m

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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city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois

Elgin, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Medinah, IL, IL

Medinah, IL

NIKOLAI FOMIN

Trip Overview

Elgin, IL to Medinah, IL is 14.6 miles and takes about 21 minutes via West Lake Street and the Elgin-O'Hare Tollway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, moving you from one part of the Midwest to another. Expect a drive that's more about navigating local streets than cruising on open highways. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick transit, perhaps for an errand or a short visit, and doesn't require extensive planning.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
West Lake Street 5.2 mi 6m
Elgin-O'Hare Tollway 4.5 mi 6m
Villa Street 2.4 mi 3m
Medinah Road 0.8 mi 1m
Lake Street 0.5 mi <1m
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway 0.3 mi <1m
East Chicago Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: West Lake Street — 5.2 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Medinah, IL.

1

Start on East Chicago Street

34 ft · 5 sec · East Chicago Street
2

Turn right onto Villa Street

2.4 mi · 3 min · Villa Street
3

Merge onto US 20

0.3 mi · 29 sec · Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
4

Continue on US 20

5.2 mi · 6 min · West Lake Street
5

Continue on US 20

0.5 mi · 37 sec · Lake Street
6

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Toward IL 390 East: Elgin-O'Harre Expressway
7

Continue on IL 390

4.5 mi · 6 min · Elgin-O'Hare Tollway
Use the right lane.
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Exit 11 Toward Rohlwing Road, Meacham Road, Medinah Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Turn right onto Medinah Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Medinah Road
10

Arrive at destination

Medinah Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

4 of 4

4 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Villa Street

Turn right onto Villa Street

Navigation decision point

3
2.4 mi into trip | ~4m in | US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway

Merge onto US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway

Merge point - match speed before joining

4
8.4 mi into trip | ~12m in

Take the exit toward IL 390 East: Elgin-O'Harre Expressway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Toward IL 390 East: Elgin-O'Harre Expressway
8
13.6 mi into trip | ~19m in

Take the exit toward Rohlwing Road, Meacham Road, Medinah Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 11 Toward Rohlwing Road, Meacham Road, Medinah Roa...

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.28 one way

$4.57 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $2.51 $5.01
premium $4.89 $2.81 $5.62
diesel $5.61 $3.22 $6.45

Estimated Tolls: $0.32

Elgin-O'Hare Tollway (4.5 mi) $0.32

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Tolls

$0

Total

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.1 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 4.4 0 $1.53 $0.70
Efficient EV 3.7 0 $1.28 $0.58
EV Truck/SUV 5.8 0 $2.04 $0.93

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.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Elgin, IL

Morning in Elgin on Tuesday

Local time

7:13 AM

CDT

Current temp

70°F

Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms

NW 10 mph 34% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 12:33PM CDT until April 18 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued April 16 at 12:29PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Medinah, IL

Morning in Medinah on Tuesday

Local time

7:13 AM

CDT

Current temp

69°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

21m 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 route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with a 0% highway share. You'll spend most of your time on surface streets, navigating through communities. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 5.2 miles along West Lake Street. Be prepared for frequent turns and traffic signals as you transition from local roads to the Elgin-O'Hare Tollway and then back to local roads towards Medinah. This isn't a route for setting speed records but for methodical navigation.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.2 mi on West Lake Street.

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 early in the drive near Villa Street.

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 21m 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: near the start (Villa Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles (US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 8.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.

About the Cities

Starting in Elgin, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1854

Elgin is a city in Chicagoland known for its Victorian architecture and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

Top landmarks

  • • Elgin Tower Building — building in Illinois, United States
  • • Elgin Downtown Commercial District

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 21m. Total distance: 14.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

21m 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 5.2 miles on West Lake Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.32 in tolls one way, starting with Elgin-O'Hare 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.

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: near the start (Villa Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles (US 20 / Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 8.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Medinah, 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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