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Trip from Elk Grove, IL to Hawthorn Woods, 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

30m

Distance

20.6 mi

33 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 28m ★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m

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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Downtown Elk Grove, IL, IL

Elk Grove, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Hawthorn Woods, IL, IL

Hawthorn Woods, IL

Sinitta Leunen

Trip Overview

The drive from Elk Grove, IL to Hawthorn Woods, IL covers 20.6 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on IL 53, Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, Quentin Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.7 miles on IL 53. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.19 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
IL 53 7.7 mi 10m
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 4.3 mi 4m
Quentin Road 3.7 mi 6m
North Rand Road 1.5 mi 1m
South Elmhurst Road 0.9 mi 1m
Lake Cook Road 0.7 mi 1m
Old McHenry Road 0.4 mi <1m
Circle Drive <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: IL 53 — 7.7 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elk Grove, IL and Hawthorn Woods, IL.

1

Start on South Elmhurst Road

231 ft · 12 sec · South Elmhurst Road
2

Continue on South Elmhurst Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · South Elmhurst Road
Use the left lane.
3

Take the ramp

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward I 90 West Toll: Rockford Use the straight / slight left lanes.
4

Merge onto I 90

4.3 mi · 4 min · Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
5

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 19 sec
Exit 68 B-A Toward IL 53 North, IL 53 South, I 290 East: West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs, Rolling Meadows Use the slight right lane.
7

Merge onto IL 53

7.7 mi · 10 min · IL 53
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Continue on Lake Cook Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Lake Cook Road
Use the left lane.
9

Continue on US 12

1.5 mi · 1 min · North Rand Road
Use the right lane.
10

Turn right onto V62

3.7 mi · 6 min · Quentin Road
Use the right lane.
11

Turn right onto V77

0.4 mi · 58 sec · Old McHenry Road
12

Turn left onto Circle Drive

171 ft · 6 sec · Circle Drive
13

Continue on Circle Drive

136 ft · 4 sec · Circle Drive
14

Continue on Circle Drive

157 ft · 7 sec · Circle Drive
15

Turn right

106 ft · 7 sec
16

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 16.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.9 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the ramp toward I 90 West Toll: Rockford

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Toward I 90 West Toll: Rockford
8
5.7 mi into trip | ~7m in

Take the exit toward IL 53 North, IL 53 South, I 290 East: West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs

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 68 B-A Toward IL 53 North, IL 53 South, I 290 East: We...
9
5.9 mi into trip | ~8m in

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

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 68B Toward IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs, Rolling...
5
6.4 mi into trip | ~9m in | IL 53

Merge onto IL 53

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
16.4 mi into trip | ~22m in | V62 / Quentin Road

Turn right onto V62 / Quentin Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.19 one way

$6.39 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $3.50 $7.00
premium $4.93 $4.00 $7.99
diesel $5.60 $4.54 $9.08

Estimated Tolls: $0.30

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (4.3 mi) $0.30

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Tolls

$0

Total

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.2 0 $2.16 $0.99
Efficient EV 5.2 0 $1.80 $0.82
EV Truck/SUV 8.2 0 $2.88 $1.32

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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 30, 2026

Origin

Elk Grove, IL

Night in Elk Grove on Saturday

Local time

9:44 PM

CDT

Current temp

85°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SSW 10 to 15 mph 50% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Hawthorn Woods, IL

Night in Hawthorn Woods on Saturday

Local time

9:44 PM

CDT

Current temp

84°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SSW 10 to 15 mph 50% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 9:10AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 29 at 5:29PM CDT until August 30 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

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

30m 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?

20.6 mi in 30m — 38% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: IL 53.

38% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.7 mi on IL 53.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.9 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 20.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

829 ft 668 ft

Total Climb

177 ft

Total Descent

44 ft

Highest Point

829 ft

~19.1 mi in

Elevation Range

162 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Elk Grove, IL and Hawthorn Woods, IL, road signs point toward Northwest Suburbs and Rolling Meadows.

Northwest Suburbs

5.7 mi in | ~7m

Rolling Meadows

5.9 mi in | ~8m

About the Cities

Starting in Elk Grove, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1956

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 30m. Total distance: 20.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

30m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (38%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.7 miles on IL 53. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.30 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 Hawthorn Woods, 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: at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 Hawthorn Woods, 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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