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Trip from Elgin, IL to Round Lake Beach, IL

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

50m

Distance

32 mi

52 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 13 min
4 AM
0h 46m ★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 59m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 54m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 48m

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 Round Lake Beach, IL, IL

Round Lake Beach, IL

Ryan Latimer

Trip Overview

Elgin to Round Lake Beach is 32 miles and takes about 50 minutes via North Hough Road, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within Illinois, traversing the Midwest region. It's a straightforward hop that mostly utilizes local roads, making it ideal for a short outing or an easy commute. Given its brevity, you won't need to worry about extensive planning or overnight stays for this particular drive.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
North Hough Road 6.4 mi 10m
New Sutton Road 5.3 mi 8m
North Rand Road 4.6 mi 5m
West Belvidere Road 3.6 mi 5m
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 2.7 mi 2m
Dundee Avenue 1.7 mi 3m
North Cedar Lake Road 1.5 mi 2m
South Hough Street 1.4 mi 2m
Longest stretch: North Hough Road — 6.4 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Round Lake Beach, 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

2.7 mi · 2 min · Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
11

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 59 sec
Exit 59 Toward IL 59 Use the slight right lane.
12

Turn left onto IL 59

3.6 mi · 5 min · New Sutton Road
Use the left lane.
13

Continue on IL 59; IL 68

1.4 mi · 1 min · Dundee Road
14

Continue on IL 59

1.7 mi · 2 min · New Sutton Road
15

Continue on South Hough Street

1.4 mi · 2 min · South Hough Street
16

Continue on IL 59

6.4 mi · 10 min · North Hough Road
Use the right lane.
17

Take the ramp onto IL 59

0.2 mi · 35 sec · IL 59
18

Merge onto US 12; IL 59

4.6 mi · 5 min · North Rand Road
19

Continue on US 12; IL 59

0.6 mi · 47 sec · US 12; IL 59
20

Turn right onto IL 120

3.6 mi · 5 min · West Belvidere Road
Use the right lane.
21

Turn left onto South Cedar Lake Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · South Cedar Lake Road
22

Continue on North Cedar Lake Road

496 ft · 9 sec · North Cedar Lake Road
23

Turn slight right onto Nippersink Avenue

0.1 mi · 23 sec · Nippersink Avenue
24

Turn left onto North Cedar Lake Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · North Cedar Lake Road
25

Turn left

142 ft · 10 sec
26

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

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

village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States of America

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Fox River Grove, IL

16 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

Round Lake, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 32 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Fox River Grove, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 16 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 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 25.9 — 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

5
2.4 mi into trip | ~5m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward I 90 Toll East: Chicago
7
5.5 mi into trip | ~8m in

Take the exit toward IL 59

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 59 Toward IL 59
5
5.9 mi into trip | ~9m in | IL 59 / New Sutton Road

Turn left onto IL 59 / New Sutton Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
25.9 mi into trip | ~39m in | IL 120 / West Belvidere Road

Turn right onto IL 120 / West Belvidere Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.00 one way

$10.01 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $5.49 $10.99
premium $4.89 $6.16 $12.32
diesel $5.61 $7.07 $14.13

Estimated Tolls: $0.19

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (2.7 mi) $0.19

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Tolls

$0

Total

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

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

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.6 0 $3.36 $1.54
Efficient EV 8 0 $2.80 $1.28
EV Truck/SUV 12.8 0 $4.48 $2.05

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 Apr 19, 2026

Origin

Elgin, IL

Morning in Elgin on Sunday

Local time

9:18 AM

CDT

Current temp

33°F

Mostly Clear then Areas Of Frost

W 5 to 20 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 3:56PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 3:56PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Round Lake Beach, IL

Morning in Round Lake Beach on Sunday

Local time

9:18 AM

CDT

Current temp

32°F

Mostly Clear then Areas Of Frost

W 5 to 20 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 3:56PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 3:56PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

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

50m 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 primarily surface roads, with only about 3% on highways. You'll spend most of your time on local streets, with the longest continuous stretch on a single road being 6.4 miles on North Hough Road. Expect to encounter more intersections and traffic lights compared to a highway drive. The transition to surface roads will happen quickly after any brief highway segments.

Only 3% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
26 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.4 mi on North Hough Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

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 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 32 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 50m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Center Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

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 Elgin, IL to Round Lake Beach, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Chicago along the way.

Chicago

2.2 mi in | ~4m

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 Round Lake Beach, IL

Full guide →

Chicagoland consists of the Chicago metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois, including Chicago and its surrounding suburbs including those in Northwest Indiana. Broader definitions also include parts of Southeast Wisconsin. It covers all of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane and Will Counties in Illinois, and portions of Kenosha County, Wisconsin; McHenry County, Illinois, and in Indiana, Lake, Porter, and portions of LaPorte Counties.

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 50m. Total distance: 32 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

50m 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 6.4 miles on North Hough Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.19 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.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Round Lake Beach, 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 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

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