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Trip from Elgin, IL to Waterman, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 6, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 6m

Distance

42.3 mi

68 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 17 min
4 AM
1h 1m ★
6 AM
1h 7m
8 AM
1h 18m
10 AM
1h 11m
12 PM
1h 9m
3 PM
1h 11m
5 PM
1h 17m
8 PM
1h 4m

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 Waterman, IL, IL

Waterman, IL

정규송 Nui MALAMA

Trip Overview

The drive from Elgin, IL to Waterman, IL covers 42.3 miles and takes about 1h 6m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Lincoln Highway, Perry Road, State Route 23 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.1 miles on Lincoln Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.56 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Lincoln Highway 10.1 mi 13m
Perry Road 7.8 mi 10m
State Route 23 5.5 mi 8m
North La Fox Street 4.3 mi 6m
East County Line Road 3.3 mi 6m
Bolcum Road 3.2 mi 5m
LaFox Road 2.3 mi 4m
South State Street 1.2 mi 3m
Longest stretch: Lincoln Highway — 10.1 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on East Chicago Street

34 ft · 5 sec · East Chicago Street
2

Turn right onto Villa Street

0.6 mi · 58 sec · Villa Street
3

Turn right onto East National Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · East National Street
4

Turn left onto IL 31

1.2 mi · 3 min · South State Street
5

Continue on IL 31

4.3 mi · 6 min · North La Fox Street
6

Turn right onto CR 5

0.9 mi · 1 min · Silver Glen Road
Use the right lane.
7

Turn left onto CR 34

0.9 mi · 1 min · Randall Road
8

Turn right onto Bolcum Road

3.2 mi · 5 min · Bolcum Road
9

Enter roundabout onto CR 2

178 ft · 3 sec · Burlington Road
10

Continue on CR 2

0.3 mi · 32 sec · Burlington Road
11

Continue on CR 81

2.3 mi · 4 min · LaFox Road
12

Turn right onto IL 38

10 mi · 13 min · Lincoln Highway
13

Turn left onto CR 1

3.3 mi · 6 min · East County Line Road
14

Turn right onto CH 7

7.8 mi · 10 min · Perry Road
15

Turn left onto IL 23

5.5 mi · 8 min · State Route 23
16

Turn slight right

149 ft · 5 sec
17

Turn slight right onto US 30

1.0 mi · 1 min · West Lincoln Highway
18

Turn right onto North Elm Street

0.2 mi · 28 sec · North Elm Street
19

Arrive at destination

North Elm Street

Where to Stop

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

city and county seat of Kane County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Geneva, IL

21 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

McGirr, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 42 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Lily Lake, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.1 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 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 11.7 — 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

6
6.7 mi into trip | ~12m in | CR 5 / Silver Glen Road

Turn right onto CR 5 / Silver Glen Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
4
7.6 mi into trip | ~14m in | CR 34 / Randall Road

Turn left onto CR 34 / Randall Road

Navigation decision point

4
8.5 mi into trip | ~15m in | Bolcum Road

Turn right onto Bolcum Road

Navigation decision point

4
11.7 mi into trip | ~20m in | CR 2 / Burlington Road

Enter roundabout onto CR 2 / Burlington Road

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.56 one way

$13.12 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $7.19 $14.38
premium $4.93 $8.21 $16.41
diesel $5.60 $9.32 $18.65

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 14.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.7 0 $4.44 $2.03
Efficient EV 10.6 0 $3.70 $1.69
EV Truck/SUV 16.9 0 $5.92 $2.71

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (67% 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 Aug 25, 2026

Origin

Elgin, IL

Morning in Elgin on Sunday

Local time

11:03 AM

CDT

Current temp

79°F

Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny

SW 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 24 at 9:28PM CDT until August 28 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 24 at 9:28PM CDT until August 31 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Destination

Waterman, IL

Morning in Waterman on Sunday

Local time

11:03 AM

CDT

Current temp

78°F

Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny

S 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 24 at 9:28PM CDT until August 28 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 24 at 9:28PM CDT until August 31 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS Lincoln 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

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

1h 6m 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?

42.3 mi in 1h 6m 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.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.1 mi on Lincoln Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

4/10

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 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 1h 6m drive. You will face about 11 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 6.7 miles (CR 5 / Silver Glen Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.6 miles (CR 34 / Randall Road): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

901 ft 713 ft

Total Climb

268 ft

Total Descent

179 ft

Highest Point

901 ft

~18.1 mi in

Elevation Range

188 ft

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 Waterman, IL

Full guide →

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 1h 6m. Total distance: 42.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 6m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (13%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 10.1 miles on Lincoln Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 6.7 miles (CR 5 / Silver Glen Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.6 miles (CR 34 / Randall Road): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Waterman, 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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