Origin
Elmwood Park, IL
Morning in Elmwood Park on Saturday
Local time
7:11 AM
CDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elmwood Park, IL to Cicero, 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
7.8 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 18m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elmwood Park, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Cicero, IL covers 7.8 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 North Harlem Avenue, Eisenhower Expressway, South Laramie Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.3 miles on North Harlem Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.22 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Elmwood Park, IL
Full guide →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: 7.8 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
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 17m drive with frequent turns across 7.8 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Harlem Avenue is the longest continuous segment at about 3.3 miles.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
643 ft
603 ft
Total Climb
6 ft
Total Descent
44 ft
Highest Point
643 ft
Elevation Range
40 ft
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 West Belden Avenue.
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 7.8 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 (West Belden Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (IL 43 / North Harlem Avenue): 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.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Belden Avenue
Turn right onto West Belden Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
IL 43 / North Harlem Avenue
Turn right onto IL 43 / North Harlem Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
3.5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Turn left toward I 290 East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 290 East
7
5.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward Central Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 23B
Toward Central Avenue
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Harlem Avenue | 3.3 mi | 8m |
| Eisenhower Expressway | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| South Laramie Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| West Roosevelt Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Central Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Belden Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Harlem Avenue
— 3.3 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elmwood Park, IL and Cicero, IL.
1
Start on this road
186 ft
·
15 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West Belden Avenue
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
West Belden Avenue
3
Turn right
104 ft
·
12 sec
4
Turn left
171 ft
·
14 sec
5
Turn right onto IL 43
3.3 mi
·
8 min
·
North Harlem Avenue
Use the left lane.
6
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 290 East
Use the left lane.
7
Merge onto I 290; IL 110
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Eisenhower Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 23B
Toward Central Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto South Central Avenue
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
South Central Avenue
10
Turn left onto West Roosevelt Road
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
West Roosevelt Road
11
Turn right onto South Laramie Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Laramie Avenue
12
Arrive at destination
South Laramie Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.22 one way
$2.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.34 | $2.68 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.72 | $3.44 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.7 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 | 2.3 | 0 | $0.82 | $0.37 |
| Efficient EV | 2 | 0 | $0.68 | $0.31 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
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.
Destination
Cicero, IL
Morning in Cicero on Saturday
Local time
7:11 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
19 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
17m 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 Elmwood Park, IL to Cicero, IL covers 7.8 miles and takes about 17m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Harlem Avenue, Eisenhower Expressway, South Laramie Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.9 miles from Elmwood Park, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.22 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 7.8 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 (West Belden Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (IL 43 / North Harlem Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Elmwood Park, IL to Cicero, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Mostly flat terrain. The route ranges from 603 ft to 643 ft elevation with about 6 ft of total climbing.
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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