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Trip from Elmhurst, IL to Willow Springs, 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

24m

Distance

14.8 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

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 22m ★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 26m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 23m

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 Illinois, United States

Elmhurst, IL

Wikimedia Commons

village in Illinois, United States of America

Willow Springs, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Elmhurst, IL to Willow Springs, IL covers 14.8 miles and takes about 24m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Tri-State Tollway, Adlai Stevenson Expressway, La Grange Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.5 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.29 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 7.5 mi 10m
Adlai Stevenson Expressway 1.5 mi 2m
La Grange Road 1.2 mi 1m
East Saint Charles Road 0.9 mi 1m
South York Street 0.6 mi 1m
I 290 0.3 mi <1m
Archer Avenue 0.3 mi <1m
West Park Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 7.5 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elmhurst, IL and Willow Springs, IL.

1

Start on this road

267 ft · 25 sec · this road
2

Turn left

51 ft · 9 sec
3

Turn left onto West Park Avenue

362 ft · 13 sec · West Park Avenue
4

Turn right onto South York Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · South York Street
5

Turn left onto East Saint Charles Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · East Saint Charles Road
Use the left lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 290 East
7

Merge onto I 290

0.3 mi · 28 sec · I 290
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 40 sec
Exit 15A Toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 294

0.4 mi · 47 sec · Tri-State Tollway
Exit 15A Toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana
10

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

1.0 mi · 2 min · Tri-State Tollway
Toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana
11

Merge onto I 294

137 ft · 1 sec · Tri-State Tollway
12

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294

4.8 mi · 5 min · Tri-State Tollway
13

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294

1.2 mi · 1 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 23 Toward I 55: Chicago, St. Louis
15

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 19 sec
Toward I 55 North: Chicago, Joliet Road
16

Keep slight left at fork

0.4 mi · 53 sec
Toward I 55 North: Chicago
17

Merge onto I 55

1.5 mi · 2 min · Adlai Stevenson Expressway
18

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Exit 279A Toward US 12 South, US 20 South, US 45 South: La Grange Road Use the right lane.
19

Merge onto US 12; US 20; US 45

1.2 mi · 1 min · La Grange Road
20

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Toward IL 171 South: Archer Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21

Turn straight onto IL 171

0.3 mi · 44 sec · Archer Avenue
22

Turn left onto Hilton Street

63 ft · 2 sec · Hilton Street
23

Arrive at destination

Hilton Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 20

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.2 and 12.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

8
2.2 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana

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 15A Toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana
6
2.9 mi into trip | ~6m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Keep slight left at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 88 West, I 294 South: Aurora, Indiana
6
8.8 mi into trip | ~14m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
10 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward I 55: Chicago, St. Louis

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

Exit 23 Toward I 55: Chicago, St. Louis
8
12.7 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward US 12 South, US 20 South, US 45 South: La Grange Road

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

Use the right lane. Exit 279A Toward US 12 South, US 20 South, US 45 South: L...

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.29 one way

$4.59 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $2.52 $5.03
premium $4.93 $2.87 $5.74
diesel $5.60 $3.26 $6.52

Estimated Tolls: $0.44

Tri-state Tollway (7.5 mi) $0.44

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: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71
Efficient EV 3.7 0 $1.30 $0.59
EV Truck/SUV 5.9 0 $2.07 $0.95

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 Aug 31, 2026

Origin

Elmhurst, IL

Late night in Elmhurst on Saturday

Local time

1:14 AM

CDT

Current temp

87°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SW 10 to 15 mph 36% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 2:51AM CDT until September 2 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 1:44AM CDT until September 3 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Destination

Willow Springs, IL

Late night in Willow Springs on Saturday

Local time

1:14 AM

CDT

Current temp

88°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SW 10 to 15 mph 36% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 2:51AM CDT until September 2 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 1:44AM CDT until September 3 at 7:00PM 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 warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

24m 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?

14.8 mi in 24m 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.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.5 mi on Tri-State 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 around 2.2 miles in.

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 20 decision points packed into just 14.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 24m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.9 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.8 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

722 ft 616 ft

Total Climb

88 ft

Total Descent

155 ft

Highest Point

722 ft

~2.1 mi in

Elevation Range

106 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Elmhurst, IL and Willow Springs, IL, road signs point toward Indiana and St. Louis.

Indiana

2.2 mi in | ~4m

St. Louis

10 mi in | ~15m

About the Cities

Starting in Elmhurst, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1882

Elmhurst is in Chicagoland.

Top landmarks

  • • F.B. Henderson House — historic house in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States

Arriving in Willow Springs, 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 24m. Total distance: 14.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

24m 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 7.5 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.44 in tolls one way, starting with Tri-state 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 Willow Springs, 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 2.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.9 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.8 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

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 Willow Springs, 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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