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Trip from Cicero, IL to Elmwood Park, IL

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

17m

Distance

7.9 mi

13 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 16m ★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m

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

village in Cook County, Illinois, United States

Elmwood Park, IL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Cicero, IL to Elmwood Park, IL covers 7.9 miles and takes about 17m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on South Harlem Avenue, South Laramie Avenue, Eisenhower Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.9 miles on South Harlem Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.24 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
South Harlem Avenue 2.9 mi 7m
South Laramie Avenue 1.8 mi 3m
Eisenhower Expressway 1.6 mi 2m
West Flournoy Street 0.5 mi <1m
North 73rd Avenue 0.4 mi 1m
West Armitage Avenue 0.1 mi <1m
West Belden Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: South Harlem Avenue — 2.9 mi, about 7m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cicero, IL and Elmwood Park, IL.

1

Start on South Laramie Avenue

1.8 mi · 3 min · South Laramie Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
2

Turn left onto West Flournoy Street

0.5 mi · 55 sec · West Flournoy Street
3

Continue on this road

0.2 mi · 25 sec · this road
Toward I 290 West Use the left / straight / right lanes.
4

Merge onto I 290; IL 110

1.6 mi · 2 min · Eisenhower Expressway
5

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Exit 21B Toward IL 43: Harlem Avenue Use the straight / slight left lanes.
6

Turn right onto IL 43

2.9 mi · 7 min · South Harlem Avenue
Use the left lane.
7

Turn left onto West Armitage Avenue

0.1 mi · 31 sec · West Armitage Avenue
8

Turn right onto North 73rd Avenue

0.4 mi · 1 min · North 73rd Avenue
9

Turn left onto West Belden Avenue

175 ft · 13 sec · West Belden Avenue
10

Turn left

186 ft · 13 sec
11

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 4.1 and 7.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
4.1 mi into trip | ~7m in

Take the exit toward IL 43: Harlem Avenue

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

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Exit 21B Toward IL 43: Harlem Avenue
5
4.4 mi into trip | ~7m in | IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue

Turn right onto IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
7.3 mi into trip | ~15m in | West Armitage Avenue

Turn left onto West Armitage Avenue

Navigation decision point

4
7.5 mi into trip | ~15m in | North 73rd Avenue

Turn right onto North 73rd Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
7.9 mi into trip | ~17m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.24 one way

$2.47 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $1.36 $2.71
premium $4.89 $1.52 $3.04
diesel $5.61 $1.74 $3.49

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$1

Estimated CO2 emission: 2.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.4 0 $0.83 $0.38
Efficient EV 2 0 $0.69 $0.32
EV Truck/SUV 3.2 0 $1.11 $0.51

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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 Apr 18, 2026

Origin

Cicero, IL

Afternoon in Cicero on Saturday

Local time

3:26 PM

CDT

Current temp

51°F

Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy

WNW 15 to 20 mph 18% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 5:50AM CDT until April 21 at 4:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 18 at 5:48AM CDT by NWS Chicago IL

Destination

Elmwood Park, IL

Afternoon in Elmwood Park on Saturday

Local time

3:26 PM

CDT

Current temp

71°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

20 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

17m 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?

7.9 mi in 17m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 21% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.9 mi on South Harlem Avenue.

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 4.1 miles in.

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 7.9 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 4.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles (IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.3 miles (West Armitage Avenue): Navigation decision point.

About the Cities

Arriving in Elmwood Park, IL

Full guide →

Founded 1914

The Northwest Suburbs are in Chicagoland, primarily in northwestern Cook, southern Lake and northern DuPage County, centered along Metra’s North Central Service, though encompassing areas well beyond the rail line. The Northwestern Suburbs constitute the largest portion of Chicagoland outside of the city. For further-out suburbs, see Fox River Valley.

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 17m. Total distance: 7.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

17m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (21%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 2.9 miles on South Harlem Avenue. 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: at 4.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles (IL 43 / South Harlem Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 7.3 miles (West Armitage Avenue): Navigation decision point.

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 Elmwood Park, IL before heading back.

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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