Origin
Elgin, IL
Morning in Elgin on Saturday
Local time
8:21 AM
CDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elgin, IL to Brookfield, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
29.6 mi
48 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 44m
★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Brookfield, IL
Quang Vuong
Trip Overview
The drive from Elgin, IL to Brookfield, IL covers 29.6 miles and takes about 47m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West Lake Street, Lake Street, US 20 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.3 miles on West Lake Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.63 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Elgin, IL
Full guide →Elgin is a city in Chicagoland known for its Victorian architecture and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.
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 47m. Total distance: 29.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (20%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 47m drive with frequent turns across 29.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West Lake Street is the longest continuous segment at about 10.3 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 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Villa Street.
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 29.6 miles you will encounter 10 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 (Villa Street): Navigation decision point; at 19.7 miles (US 20): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 25.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Villa Street
Turn right onto Villa Street
Navigation decision point
6
19.7 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
US 20
Take the ramp onto US 20 toward I 290 East, US 20 East: Chicago
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I 290 East, US 20 East: Chicago
7
25.8 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Take the exit toward South 25th Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 18A
Toward South 25th Avenue
5
26.1 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
Lexington Street
Turn left onto Lexington Street
Navigation decision point
5
29.3 mi into trip
|
~46m in
|
Maple Avenue
Enter roundabout onto Maple Avenue
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Lake Street | 10.3 mi | 15m |
| Lake Street | 6.7 mi | 10m |
| US 20 | 6 mi | 8m |
| Villa Street | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| South 25th Avenue | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Grand Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Kemman Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
West Lake Street
— 10.3 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elgin, IL and Brookfield, IL.
1
Start on East Chicago Street
34 ft
·
5 sec
·
East Chicago Street
2
Turn right onto Villa Street
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Villa Street
3
Merge onto US 20
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
4
Continue on US 20
5.2 mi
·
6 min
·
West Lake Street
5
Continue on US 20
6.7 mi
·
10 min
·
Lake Street
6
Continue on US 20
5.1 mi
·
8 min
·
West Lake Street
Use the left / uturn lanes.
7
Take the ramp onto US 20
6.0 mi
·
8 min
·
US 20
Toward I 290 East, US 20 East: Chicago
Use the left lane.
8
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Exit 18A
Toward South 25th Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn left onto Indian Joe Drive
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
Indian Joe Drive
10
Turn left onto Lexington Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Lexington Street
11
Turn right onto South 25th Avenue
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
South 25th Avenue
12
Continue on Kemman Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Kemman Avenue
13
Turn slight left onto Grand Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Boulevard
14
Enter roundabout onto Maple Avenue
146 ft
·
5 sec
·
Maple Avenue
15
Continue on Maple Avenue
0.2 mi
·
38 sec
·
Maple Avenue
16
Turn right onto Grant Avenue
101 ft
·
4 sec
·
Grant Avenue
17
Arrive at destination
Grant Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.63 one way
$9.26 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.08 | $10.16 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.70 | $11.39 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.54 | $13.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.11 | $1.42 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.59 | $1.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.14 | $1.89 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Brookfield, IL
Morning in Brookfield on Saturday
Local time
8:21 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°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
2 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
47m 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 Elgin, IL to Brookfield, IL covers 29.6 miles and takes about 47m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West Lake Street, Lake Street, US 20. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.8 miles from Elgin, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.63 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 29.6 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (Villa Street): Navigation decision point; at 19.7 miles (US 20): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 25.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Elgin, IL to Brookfield, 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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