Origin
Forest Park, IL
Morning in Forest Park on Tuesday
Local time
11:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Forest Park, IL to Elk Grove, IL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
15.7 mi
25 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Forest Park, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Elk Grove, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Forest Park, IL to Elk Grove, IL is 15.7 miles and takes about 26 minutes via Eisenhower Expressway and I 290, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically within Illinois, making it an easy local excursion. The profile is mixed highway and surface roads, so expect a blend of faster-paced driving and more local street navigation. It's a quick hop, perfect for a day trip or an errand run without requiring an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Expressway | 4.5 mi | 6m |
| South York Road | 4.3 mi | 7m |
| I 290 | 3.9 mi | 5m |
| South Elmhurst Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| North York Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| Des Plaines Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| US 20 | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Madison Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Eisenhower Expressway
— 4.5 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Forest Park, IL and Elk Grove, IL.
1
Start on Madison Street
44 ft
·
6 sec
·
Madison Street
2
Turn left onto Des Plaines Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Des Plaines Avenue
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward I 290 West: Eisenhower Expressway
4
Merge onto I 290; IL 110
4.5 mi
·
6 min
·
Eisenhower Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 290
3.9 mi
·
5 min
·
I 290
Toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford, Milwaukee
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit onto US 20
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
US 20
Exit 12
Toward US 20 West, IL 64 West: Lake Street, York Road
Use the right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward York Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn left onto North York Street
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
North York Street
9
Continue on South York Road
4.3 mi
·
7 min
·
South York Road
Use the left lane.
10
Continue on South Elmhurst Road
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Elmhurst Road
11
Continue on South Elmhurst Road
521 ft
·
26 sec
·
South Elmhurst Road
Use the left lane.
12
Arrive at destination
South Elmhurst Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 9.1 — 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
|
Des Plaines Avenue
Turn left onto Des Plaines Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 290; IL 110 / Eisenhower Expressway
Merge onto I 290; IL 110 / Eisenhower Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
5.1 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 290
Keep slight right at fork onto I 290 toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford, Milwaukee
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 290 West, I 294 North Toll: Rockford,...
8
9 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
US 20
Take the exit onto US 20 toward US 20 West, IL 64 West: Lake Street, York 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 12
Toward US 20 West, IL 64 West: Lake Street, Yor...
8
9.1 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Keep slight right at fork toward York Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward York Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.45 one way
$4.91 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.69 | $5.39 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.02 | $6.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.47 | $6.93 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.63 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
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.
Destination
Elk Grove, IL
Morning in Elk Grove on Tuesday
Local time
11:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
26m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This drive features a significant portion on highways, with 54% of the 15.7 miles on expressways like the Eisenhower Expressway and I 290. You'll experience a continuous stretch of 4.5 miles on the Eisenhower Expressway before transitioning to surface roads. Expect frequent exits and merges as you navigate between the high-speed highway sections and local streets.
54% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.5 mi on Eisenhower Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 early in the drive near Des Plaines Avenue.
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 6 decision points packed into just 15.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 26m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Des Plaines Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (I 290; IL 110 / Eisenhower Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.1 miles (I 290): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
688 ft
621 ft
Total Climb
82 ft
Total Descent
43 ft
Highest Point
688 ft
~5.6 mi in
Elevation Range
67 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
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 Forest Park, IL to Elk Grove, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Milwaukee along the way.
Milwaukee
5.1 mi in
|
~8m
|
via I 290
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 26m. Total distance: 15.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (54%). 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 4.5 miles on Eisenhower Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Elk Grove, 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 (Des Plaines Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (I 290; IL 110 / Eisenhower Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.1 miles (I 290): 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 Elk Grove, 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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