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Trip from Saint Elmo, IL to Sefton, IL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

28m

Distance

11.1 mi

18 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 27m ★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 27m ★

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 Fayette County, Illinois

Saint Elmo, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Sefton, IL, IL

Sefton, IL

Zsolt Pujsz

Trip Overview

Saint Elmo to Sefton is 11.1 miles and takes about 28 minutes via County Road 1800 East, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, connecting two points in the Midwest. Given its brief duration and mostly surface road profile, it's an easy addition to a larger itinerary or a quick drive for local errands. You won't encounter any major highways on this route, making it a straightforward point-to-point connection.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
County Road 1800 East 4.8 mi 12m
East Cumberland Road 4.1 mi 7m
County Road 2300 North 2 mi 7m
North Main Street 0.2 mi <1m
East 4th Street <0.1 mi <1m
Fayette County Rd 2 <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: County Road 1800 East — 4.8 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Saint Elmo, IL and Sefton, IL.

1

Start on East 4th Street

145 ft · 11 sec · East 4th Street
2

Turn left onto North Main Street

0.2 mi · 55 sec · North Main Street
3

Turn right onto US 40

4.1 mi · 7 min · East Cumberland Road
4

Turn right onto County Road 1800 East

4.8 mi · 12 min · County Road 1800 East
5

Turn left onto County Road 2300 North

2.0 mi · 7 min · County Road 2300 North
6

Turn left onto Fayette County Rd 2

24 ft · 1 sec · Fayette County Rd 2
7

Arrive at destination

Fayette County Rd 2

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 5

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 11.1 — 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 | North Main Street

Turn left onto North Main Street

Navigation decision point

3
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in | US 40 / East Cumberland Road

Turn right onto US 40 / East Cumberland Road

Navigation decision point

4
4.4 mi into trip | ~8m in | County Road 1800 East

Turn right onto County Road 1800 East

Navigation decision point

3
9.1 mi into trip | ~21m in | County Road 2300 North

Turn left onto County Road 2300 North

Navigation decision point

4
11.1 mi into trip | ~28m in | Fayette County Rd 2

Turn left onto Fayette County Rd 2

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.72 one way

$3.44 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $1.89 $3.77
premium $4.93 $2.15 $4.31
diesel $5.60 $2.45 $4.89

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.3 0 $1.17 $0.53
Efficient EV 2.8 0 $0.97 $0.44
EV Truck/SUV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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 19, 2026

Origin

Saint Elmo, IL

Afternoon in Saint Elmo on Friday

Local time

4:31 PM

CDT

Current temp

66°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

S 2 mph 78% chance Live forecast

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued August 19 at 2:56AM CDT until August 20 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued August 19 at 2:35AM CDT until August 20 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Destination

Sefton, IL

Afternoon in Sefton on Friday

Local time

4:31 PM

CDT

Current temp

67°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

SE 2 mph 78% chance Live forecast

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued August 19 at 2:56AM CDT until August 20 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued August 19 at 2:35AM CDT until August 20 at 1:00AM 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

28m 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?

This drive is entirely on surface roads, with 0% highway time. The longest continuous stretch you'll navigate is 4.8 miles along County Road 1800 East. You'll be cruising on local routes like East Cumberland Road and County Road 2300 North for the entire 11.1-mile trip. Expect consistent, unhurried travel without the complexities of merging onto or off of major highways.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.8 mi on County Road 1800 East.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near North Main Street.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 28m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (US 40 / East Cumberland Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles (County Road 1800 East): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

619 ft 565 ft

Total Climb

25 ft

Total Descent

80 ft

Highest Point

619 ft

Elevation Range

54 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Saint Elmo, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1871

Top landmarks

  • • President — historic American steamboat

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 28m. Total distance: 11.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

28m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 4.8 miles on County Road 1800 East. 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 (North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (US 40 / East Cumberland Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles (County Road 1800 East): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Sefton, 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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