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Trip from Long Grove, IL to Elgin, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

35m

Distance

21.1 mi

34 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 32m ★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Long Grove, IL, IL

Long Grove, IL

Ali Soheil

city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois

Elgin, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This short, 21.1-mile drive from Long Grove, IL to Elgin, IL takes about 35 minutes and is perfect for a single day trip. You'll navigate local roads like East Dundee Road and New Sutton Road, with a brief 11% share of highway driving on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. With an estimated fuel cost of just $3, this route offers an economical and straightforward excursion within the Midwest region. There are no recommended overnight stops, making it an easy round trip or a quick hop to your destination.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
East Dundee Road 7.9 mi 12m
New Sutton Road 3.3 mi 5m
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway 2.8 mi 3m
North State Route 53 2.2 mi 3m
Dundee Avenue 2 mi 3m
North Hicks Road 1.1 mi 1m
Robert Parker Coffin Road 0.4 mi 1m
Center Street 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: East Dundee Road — 7.9 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on V77

78 ft · 7 sec · North Old McHenry Road
2

Turn left onto Robert Parker Coffin Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · Robert Parker Coffin Road
3

At end of road, turn right onto IL 53

2.2 mi · 3 min · North State Route 53
4

Continue on North Hicks Road

1.1 mi · 1 min · North Hicks Road
5

Turn right onto IL 68

7.9 mi · 12 min · East Dundee Road
6

Continue on IL 59

3.3 mi · 5 min · New Sutton Road
Use the left lane.
7

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 56 sec
Toward I 90 West Toll: Rockford
8

Merge onto I 90

2.8 mi · 3 min · Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
9

Take the exit

504 ft · 12 sec
Exit 56 Toward IL 25 Use the slight right lane.
10

Continue on this road

0.5 mi · 1 min · this road
Exit 56 Toward IL 25
11

Continue on this road

0.1 mi · 17 sec · this road
12

Turn left onto IL 25

2.0 mi · 3 min · Dundee Avenue
Use the left lane.
13

Continue on Center Street

0.1 mi · 23 sec · Center Street
14

Turn right

311 ft · 28 sec
15

Turn left onto East Chicago Street

117 ft · 3 sec · East Chicago Street
16

Arrive at destination

East Chicago Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 21.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | IL 53 / North State Route 53

At end of road, turn right onto IL 53 / North State Route 53

Navigation decision point

4
3.7 mi into trip | ~7m in | IL 68 / East Dundee Road

Turn right onto IL 68 / East Dundee Road

Navigation decision point

7
18.2 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward IL 25

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 56 Toward IL 25
5
21 mi into trip | ~34m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

5
21.1 mi into trip | ~35m in | East Chicago Street

Turn left onto East Chicago Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.30 one way

$6.60 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.62 $7.24
premium $4.89 $4.06 $8.12
diesel $5.61 $4.66 $9.32

Estimated Tolls: $0.20

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (2.8 mi) $0.20

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

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

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

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.3 0 $2.22 $1.01
Efficient EV 5.3 0 $1.85 $0.84
EV Truck/SUV 8.4 0 $2.95 $1.35

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 Apr 20, 2026

Origin

Long Grove, IL

Afternoon in Long Grove on Tuesday

Local time

12:09 PM

CDT

Current temp

61°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Elgin, IL

Afternoon in Elgin on Tuesday

Local time

12:09 PM

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

2 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

35m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive for most of this journey. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7.9 miles on East Dundee Road. While only 11% of the route involves highway driving on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, the majority of your time will be spent on more localized streets. This means you'll be making frequent turns and navigating through communities, offering a different pace than a pure interstate experience.

Only 11% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.9 mi on East Dundee Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near IL 53 / North State Route 53.

Driving Effort 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 21.1 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (IL 53 / North State Route 53): Navigation decision point; at 3.7 miles (IL 68 / East Dundee Road): Navigation decision point; at 18.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Long Grove, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1956

Long Grove is a village in Chicagoland.

Top landmarks

  • Robert Parker Coffin Bridge — bridge in Long Grove, Illinois

Arriving 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

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 35m. Total distance: 21.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

35m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (11%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.9 miles on East Dundee Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.20 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. 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 0.5 miles (IL 53 / North State Route 53): Navigation decision point; at 3.7 miles (IL 68 / East Dundee Road): Navigation decision point; at 18.2 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 Elgin, 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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