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Trip from Elgin, IL to Northfield, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

45m

Distance

30.9 mi

50 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 42m ★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 43m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
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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 Northfield, IL, IL

Northfield, IL

Stéphane Tendon

Trip Overview

The drive from Elgin, IL to Northfield, IL covers 30.9 miles and takes about 45m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, Palatine Road, Willow Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.7 miles on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.79 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 10.7 mi 11m
Palatine Road 6 mi 8m
Willow Road 5.4 mi 9m
I 290 4.1 mi 5m
Dundee Avenue 1.7 mi 3m
North Liberty Street 0.2 mi <1m
Center Street 0.2 mi <1m
Wagner Road 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Jane Addams Memorial Tollway — 10.7 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on East Chicago Street

34 ft · 8 sec · East Chicago Street
2

Turn left onto Center Street

0.2 mi · 24 sec · Center Street
3

Continue on Dundee Avenue

1.2 mi · 2 min · Dundee Avenue
4

Turn right onto IL 25

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Page Avenue
5

Turn straight onto IL 25

0.2 mi · 20 sec · North Liberty Street
6

Continue on IL 25

0.5 mi · 50 sec · Dundee Avenue
7

Take the ramp

0.1 mi · 18 sec
Toward I 90 Toll West, I 90 Toll East: Rockford, Chicago
8

Continue on this road

486 ft · 11 sec · this road
Toward I 90 West, I 90 East: Rockford, Chicago
9

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 49 sec
Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
10

Merge onto I 90

11 mi · 11 min · Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 68A-B Toward I 290, IL 53: Chicago, West Suburbs Use the slight right lane.
12

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 19 sec
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
13

Continue on this road

0.2 mi · 18 sec · this road
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
14

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 50 sec
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs Use the right lane.
15

Merge onto I 290; IL 53

4.1 mi · 5 min · I 290; IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward East Palatine Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Merge onto Palatine Road

6.0 mi · 8 min · Palatine Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Continue on Willow Road

5.4 mi · 9 min · Willow Road
Use the straight lane.
19

Turn right onto Wagner Road

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Wagner Road
20

Turn right onto Bosworth Lane

79 ft · 3 sec · Bosworth Lane
21

Arrive at destination

Bosworth Lane

Where to Stop

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

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Palatine, IL

15 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

Lincolnwood, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 30.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Palatine, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 15.4 miles from Elgin, 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 15

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 18.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Center Street

Turn left onto Center Street

Navigation decision point

8
13.4 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the exit toward I 290, IL 53: Chicago, West Suburbs

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 68A-B Toward I 290, IL 53: Chicago, West Suburbs
6
13.9 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight left at fork toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
8
14.4 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight right at fork toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs
6
18.9 mi into trip | ~25m in

Take the exit toward East Palatine Road

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward East Palatine Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.79 one way

$9.58 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $5.25 $10.51
premium $4.93 $6.00 $11.99
diesel $5.60 $6.81 $13.62

Estimated Tolls: $0.75

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (10.7 mi) $0.75

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Tolls

$1

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.3 0 $3.24 $1.48
Efficient EV 7.7 0 $2.70 $1.24
EV Truck/SUV 12.4 0 $4.33 $1.98

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (64% 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 Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Elgin, IL

Morning in Elgin on Saturday

Local time

7:46 AM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Mostly Clear

SW 5 to 10 mph 13% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Northfield, IL

Morning in Northfield on Saturday

Local time

7:46 AM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Partly Cloudy

SW 5 to 10 mph 13% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 2:11PM CDT until September 1 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

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

3 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

45m 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?

30.9 mi in 45m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 13% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.7 mi on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 early in the drive near Center Street.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 30.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 13.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

850 ft 633 ft

Total Climb

164 ft

Total Descent

270 ft

Highest Point

850 ft

~6.6 mi in

Elevation Range

217 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Elgin, IL and Northfield, IL, road signs point toward Chicago and Suburbs.

Chicago

2.2 mi in | ~4m

Suburbs

13.4 mi in | ~17m

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

Arriving in Northfield, IL

Full guide →

Northfield is a city in The suburbs of Chicago Illinois It is about 20 miles North of the city of Chicago. The Population is around 5500 people. The city is primarily a residential village, with a small section of commercial real-estate.

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 45m. Total distance: 30.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

45m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 10.7 miles on Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.75 in tolls one way, starting with Jane Addams Memorial 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 Northfield, 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: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 13.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

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 Northfield, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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