Origin
Brookfield, IL
Late night in Brookfield on Saturday
Local time
12:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brookfield, IL to Aurora, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
45m
Distance
30.3 mi
49 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 42m
★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 49m
12 PM
0h 48m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 53m
8 PM
0h 44m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brookfield, IL
Quang Vuong
Aurora, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Brookfield, IL to Aurora, IL covers 30.3 miles and takes about 45m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, North Lake Street, Cermak Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 20.5 miles on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.74 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Arriving in Aurora, IL
Full guide →Aurora is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, located about 35 miles west of Chicago. It's at the very edge of Chicagoland and, situated on the Fox River, has many opportunities for urban, suburban, and rural recreation. Often overlooked, Aurora in fact has many surprisingly interesting attractions and a downtown unlike that of a typical suburb. It is probably best known for being the setting of the "Wayne's World" movies.
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 45m. Total distance: 30.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
45m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 45m drive with frequent turns across 30.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway is the longest continuous segment at about 20.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 0.3 miles in near Grand Boulevard.
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 30.3 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 0.3 miles (Grand Boulevard): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 2.7 miles (Cermak Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Grand Boulevard
Enter roundabout onto Grand Boulevard
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
2.7 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Cermak Road
Turn left onto Cermak Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
6.2 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the ramp toward I 88 Toll West: Aurora
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 88 Toll West: Aurora
5
6.5 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
I 88; IL 110 / Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Merge onto I 88; IL 110 / Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
27.1 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Take the exit toward IL 31, IL 56 East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Exit 117
Toward IL 31, IL 56 East
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway | 20.5 mi | 25m |
| North Lake Street | 2.2 mi | 4m |
| Cermak Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| 22nd Street | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| North La Grange Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Grand Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| East 31st Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Lincolnway Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
— 20.5 mi, about 25m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brookfield, IL and Aurora, IL.
1
Start on Grant Avenue
101 ft
·
9 sec
·
Grant Avenue
2
Turn left onto Maple Avenue
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Maple Avenue
3
Enter roundabout onto Grand Boulevard
232 ft
·
7 sec
·
Grand Boulevard
4
Continue on Grand Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Boulevard
5
Turn left onto East 31st Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East 31st Street
6
Turn right onto US 12; US 20; US 45
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
North La Grange Road
7
Turn left onto Cermak Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Cermak Road
Use the left lane.
8
Continue on 22nd Street
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
22nd Street
Use the left lane.
9
Take the ramp
185 ft
·
6 sec
Toward I 88 Toll West: Aurora
Use the left lane.
10
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
this road
Toward I 88 Toll West: Aurora
11
Merge onto I 88; IL 110
21 mi
·
25 min
·
Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 117
Toward IL 31, IL 56 East
Use the right lane.
13
Turn right onto IL 31
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
South Lincolnway Street
14
Continue on IL 31
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
North Lake Street
15
Turn right onto West Galena Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
9 sec
·
West Galena Boulevard
16
Arrive at destination
West Galena Boulevard
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 15.1 mi from Brookfield, IL · 23m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
15 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 30 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 15.1 miles from Brookfield, IL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Aurora, IL
Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Aurora, IL if you are unfamiliar with the area.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.74 one way
$9.47 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.20 | $10.40 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.83 | $11.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.69 | $13.38 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.23
Reagan Memorial Tollway
(20.5 mi)
$1.23
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$1
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.18 | $1.45 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.65 | $1.21 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.24 | $1.94 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Aurora, IL
Late night in Aurora on Saturday
Local time
12:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
45m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Brookfield, IL to Aurora, IL covers 30.3 miles and takes about 45m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, North Lake Street, Cermak Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.1 miles from Brookfield, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.74 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 30.3 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Grand Boulevard): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 2.7 miles (Cermak Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Brookfield, IL to Aurora, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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