Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Wadsworth, IL to Elmhurst, IL

Pin this trip

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

Drive Time

57m

Distance

43.3 mi

70 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 53m ★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 7m
10 AM
1h 1m
12 PM
1h 0m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 55m

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

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
village in Lake County, Illinois, United States of America

Wadsworth, IL

Wikimedia Commons

city in Illinois, United States

Elmhurst, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Wadsworth, IL to Elmhurst, IL covers 43.3 miles and takes about 57m 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, North Skokie Highway, Waukegan Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 30.3 miles on Tri-State Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.71 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Tri-State Tollway 30.3 mi 37m
North Skokie Highway 6.2 mi 7m
Waukegan Road 2.4 mi 3m
East North Avenue 0.8 mi 2m
West Wadsworth Road 0.7 mi 1m
Buckley Road 0.7 mi 1m
IL 43 0.5 mi <1m
North York Street 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Tri-State Tollway — 30.3 mi, about 37m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on North Chicago Avenue

60 ft · 7 sec · North Chicago Avenue
2

Turn left onto CH A9

0.7 mi · 1 min · West Wadsworth Road
3

Turn left onto US 41

6.2 mi · 7 min · North Skokie Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4

Turn slight right onto IL 43

0.5 mi · 50 sec · IL 43
Toward IL 43 South, IL 120 West Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Continue on Waukegan Road

2.4 mi · 3 min · Waukegan Road
6

Turn right onto IL 137

0.7 mi · 1 min · Buckley Road
Use the left lane.
7

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 52 sec
Toward I 94 Toll East: Chicago Use the left lane.
8

Merge onto I 94

11 mi · 12 min · Tri-State Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294

19 mi · 24 min · Tri-State Tollway
Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare Use the slight right lane.
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 33 Toward I 290 West: Rockford, Elmhurst Use the right lane.
11

Merge onto I 290

464 ft · 7 sec · I 290
12

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 13B Toward IL 64 West: North Avenue Use the right lane.
13

Turn straight onto IL 64

0.8 mi · 2 min · East North Avenue
14

Turn left onto North York Street

0.3 mi · 36 sec · North York Street
Use the left lane.
15

Turn right onto West 2nd Street

335 ft · 9 sec · West 2nd Street
Use the right lane.
16

Keep slight left at fork onto West 2nd Street

127 ft · 8 sec · West 2nd Street
17

At end of road, turn left onto North Addison Avenue

0.2 mi · 28 sec · North Addison Avenue
18

Turn right onto Cottage Hill Avenue

230 ft · 13 sec · Cottage Hill Avenue
19

Turn left onto West Park Avenue

0.1 mi · 26 sec · West Park Avenue
20

Turn sharp left

65 ft · 4 sec
21

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Des Plaines, IL

22 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Waukegan, IL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Des Plaines, IL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.7 miles from Wadsworth, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 17

5 decision points cluster between mile 22 and 43.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

8
22 mi into trip | ~28m in | I 294 / Tri-State Tollway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 294 / Tri-State Tollway toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 294 South Toll: Indiana, O'Hare
8
41.3 mi into trip | ~52m in

Take the exit toward I 290 West: Rockford, Elmhurst

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

Use the right lane. Exit 33 Toward I 290 West: Rockford, Elmhurst
8
41.6 mi into trip | ~53m in

Take the exit toward IL 64 West: North Avenue

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

Use the right lane. Exit 13B Toward IL 64 West: North Avenue
7
42.9 mi into trip | ~56m in | West 2nd Street

Turn right onto West 2nd Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
43.3 mi into trip | ~57m in

Turn sharp left

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.71 one way

$13.43 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $7.36 $14.72
premium $4.93 $8.40 $16.80
diesel $5.60 $9.54 $19.09

Estimated Tolls: $1.82

Tri-state Tollway (30.3 mi) $1.82

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Tolls

$2

Total

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13 0 $4.55 $2.08
Efficient EV 10.8 0 $3.79 $1.73
EV Truck/SUV 17.3 0 $6.06 $2.77

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (67% 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 Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Wadsworth, IL

Morning in Wadsworth on Friday

Local time

10:11 AM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Partly Cloudy

SW 5 mph 7% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:03PM CDT until September 2 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 1:11PM CDT until September 3 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Lincoln IL

Destination

Elmhurst, IL

Morning in Elmhurst on Friday

Local time

10:11 AM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Mostly Clear

SW 5 to 10 mph 4% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:03PM CDT until September 2 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 1:11PM 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

3 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

57m 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?

43.3 mi in 57m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 30.3 mi on Tri-State Tollway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 22 miles in near I 294 / Tri-State Tollway.

Driving Effort 9/10

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 17 decision points packed into just 43.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 57m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 22 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 41.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 41.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

710 ft 650 ft

Total Climb

107 ft

Total Descent

121 ft

Highest Point

710 ft

~12.4 mi in

Elevation Range

61 ft

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 Wadsworth, IL to Elmhurst, IL, road signs begin pointing toward O'hare along the way.

O'hare

22 mi in | ~28m | via I 294

About the Cities

Starting in Wadsworth, IL

Full guide →

Arriving in Elmhurst, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1882

Elmhurst is in Chicagoland.

Top landmarks

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

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 57m. Total distance: 43.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

57m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 30.3 miles on Tri-State Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.82 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 Elmhurst, 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 22 miles (I 294 / Tri-State Tollway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 41.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 41.6 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 Elmhurst, 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Continue From Elmhurst, IL

Metropolis, IL 369.7 mi · 6h 53m Pinckneyville, IL 323.3 mi · 6h 4m Du Quoin, IL 321.9 mi · 6h 7m Frankfort, IL 312.2 mi · 5h 50m

More trips to Elmhurst, IL

Anna, IL 352.2 mi Sleepy Hollow, IL 335 mi Johnston City, IL 318.5 mi
Scenic drives in IL

Explore more options from Wadsworth, IL or browse trips ending in Elmhurst, IL.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.