Origin
Northfield, IL
Late night in Northfield on Tuesday
Local time
4:16 AM
CDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Northfield, IL to Cicero, 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
34m
Distance
21.4 mi
34 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Northfield, IL
Stéphane Tendon
Trip Overview
This quick 21.4-mile drive from Northfield, IL, to Cicero, IL, is easily manageable in about 34 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. The route primarily utilizes the Edens Expressway and local roads like North Pulaski Road and South Laramie Avenue, with 51% of the journey on highways. You can expect a low fuel cost of around $3 for this short hop within the Midwest. The mixed driving profile means you'll experience both faster expressway travel and more local road navigation. Given its brevity, this trip doesn't require an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Edens Expressway | 10.5 mi | 13m |
| North Pulaski Road | 5 mi | 9m |
| South Laramie Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| North Cicero Avenue | 1 mi | 1m |
| West Madison Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Willow Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West Roosevelt Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Kennedy Expressway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Edens Expressway
— 10.5 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Northfield, IL and Cicero, IL.
1
Start on Bosworth Lane
79 ft
·
8 sec
·
Bosworth Lane
2
Turn left onto Wagner Road
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Wagner Road
3
Turn right onto Willow Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Willow Road
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 94 East, US 41 South: Chicago
5
Merge onto I 94; US 41
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Edens Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 90; I 94
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
·
Kennedy Expressway
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 44A
Toward IL 19: Irving Park Road, Keeler Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
8
Continue on Kennedy Irving Park Road
389 ft
·
16 sec
·
Kennedy Irving Park Road
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
9
Turn slight left onto IL 19
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
West Irving Park Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
10
Turn right onto North Pulaski Road
2.1 mi
·
4 min
·
North Pulaski Road
11
At end of road, turn right onto West Belden Avenue
170 ft
·
10 sec
·
West Belden Avenue
12
Turn left onto North Pulaski Road
2.9 mi
·
5 min
·
North Pulaski Road
13
Turn right onto West Madison Street
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West Madison Street
14
Turn left onto IL 50
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
North Cicero Avenue
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto West Roosevelt Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Roosevelt Road
16
Turn left onto South Laramie Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Laramie Avenue
17
Arrive at destination
South Laramie Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 18.4 — 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
|
Wagner Road
Turn left onto Wagner Road
Navigation decision point
5
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 94; US 41 / Edens Expressway
Merge onto I 94; US 41 / Edens Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
11.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward IL 19: Irving Park Road, Keeler Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 44A
Toward IL 19: Irving Park Road, Keeler Avenue
5
14.5 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
West Belden Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto West Belden Avenue
Navigation decision point
6
18.4 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
IL 50 / North Cicero Avenue
Turn left onto IL 50 / North Cicero Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.35 one way
$6.69 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.67 | $7.35 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.12 | $8.24 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.72 | $9.45 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 57% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.25 | $1.03 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.87 | $0.86 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.00 | $1.37 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (57% 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
Cicero, IL
Late night in Cicero on Tuesday
Local time
4:16 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
4 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
34m 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 mixed drive on this route, with a substantial 51% of your travel occurring on highways like the Edens Expressway. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 10.5 miles on this expressway, offering a period of consistent speed. As you transition off the expressway, the drive shifts to local roads such as North Pulaski Road and South Laramie Avenue, introducing more traffic signals and varied speed limits. This blend means you'll encounter both the efficiency of highway travel and the more grounded experience of navigating through communities.
51% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.5 mi on Edens Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 14 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Wagner Road.
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 21.4 miles you will encounter 14 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: near the start (Wagner Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (I 94; US 41 / Edens Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
633 ft
599 ft
Total Climb
17 ft
Total Descent
45 ft
Highest Point
633 ft
Elevation Range
34 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Northfield, IL
Full guide →Northfield is a city in The suburbs of Chicago Illinois It is about 20 miles North of the city of Chicago. The Population is around 5500 people. The city is primarily a residential village, with a small section of commercial real-estate.
Arriving in Cicero, IL
Full guide →Cicero is a town of 81,000 people (2019) in the Chicagoland area, just west of the Chicago city limits. It became famous when gangster Al Capone moved here to escape from the Chicago Police in the early 1920s.
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 34m. Total distance: 21.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (51%). 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 10.5 miles on Edens Expressway. 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 (Wagner Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (I 94; US 41 / Edens Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Cicero, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Cicero, IL
More from Northfield, IL
More trips to Cicero, IL
Explore more options from Northfield, IL or browse trips ending in Cicero, IL.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.