Origin
Elmwood Park, IL
Morning in Elmwood Park on Saturday
Local time
9:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elmwood Park, IL to Evanston, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
14.8 mi
24 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elmwood Park, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Evanston, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 14.8-mile drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Evanston, IL is easily manageable in just 28 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. You'll navigate primarily via West Howard Street and North Central Avenue, with a brief 19% segment on the Edens Expressway. Budget around $2 for fuel for this short hop within the Midwest region. The route is characterized as a turn-heavy local drive, offering a direct connection between these Illinois communities without requiring an overnight stay. Its brevity means you can easily fit it into a busy schedule, allowing for flexibility in your day.
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.
Arriving in Evanston, IL
Full guide →Evanston is a city in the North Shore region of Illinois along the shores of Lake Michigan. Evanston has many identities: college town, dining destination, cultural center and gateway to the wealthy North Shore, although the city itself is anything but homogeneous in regards to economic status, culture and race. Evanston is named after John Evans, one of the founders of Northwestern University, which ranks among the most prestigious universities in the 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 28m. Total distance: 14.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for most of this 14.8-mile journey. While 19% of the route involves highway travel, the majority of your time will be spent on local roads like West Howard Street and North Central Avenue. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 3 miles on West Howard Street. This profile suggests a drive that requires attention to turns and local traffic patterns rather than sustained high-speed cruising. The character of the road will likely shift from more urban or suburban streets to potentially slightly more open stretches before returning to local conditions as you approach Evanston.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 22 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West Howard Street is the longest continuous segment at about 3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 2.5 miles in near North Central Avenue.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 14.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.5 miles (North Central Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles (IL 50 / North Cicero Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.3 miles (West Wilson Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 18 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
2.5 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
North Central Avenue
Turn left onto North Central Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
6.1 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
IL 50 / North Cicero Avenue
Turn left onto IL 50 / North Cicero Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
6.3 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
West Wilson Avenue
Turn right onto West Wilson Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
9.4 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward Touhy Avenue East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 39B
Toward Touhy Avenue East
7
14.8 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Turn uturn
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
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 Elmwood Park, IL to Evanston, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Touhy Avenue East along the way.
Touhy Avenue East
9.4 mi in
|
~17m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Howard Street | 3 mi | 5m |
| Edens Expressway | 2.8 mi | 3m |
| North Central Avenue | 2.5 mi | 5m |
| Asbury Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| West Fullerton Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| West Grand Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| West Montrose Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| North Cicero Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
West Howard Street
— 3 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elmwood Park, IL and Evanston, IL.
1
Start on this road
186 ft
·
15 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto West Belden Avenue
175 ft
·
13 sec
·
West Belden Avenue
3
Turn left onto North 73rd Avenue
0.1 mi
·
34 sec
·
North 73rd Avenue
4
Turn left onto West Fullerton Avenue
143 ft
·
6 sec
·
West Fullerton Avenue
5
Turn right onto 73rd Avenue
361 ft
·
14 sec
·
73rd Avenue
6
Turn right onto West Grand Avenue
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West Grand Avenue
7
Keep slight left at fork onto West Grand Avenue
238 ft
·
8 sec
·
West Grand Avenue
8
Continue on West Fullerton Avenue
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
West Fullerton Avenue
9
Turn left onto North Central Avenue
2.5 mi
·
5 min
·
North Central Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
Turn right onto West Montrose Avenue
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West Montrose Avenue
11
Turn left onto IL 50
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
North Cicero Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto West Wilson Avenue
449 ft
·
23 sec
·
West Wilson Avenue
Use the right lane.
13
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward I 94 West
14
Merge onto I 94
2.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Edens Expressway
Toward I 94 West: Milwaukee
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 39B
Toward Touhy Avenue East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
At end of road, turn left onto IL 50
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
·
North Cicero Avenue
17
Continue on IL 50
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
·
Skokie Boulevard
18
Turn right onto West Howard Street
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
West Howard Street
19
Turn left onto Asbury Avenue
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Asbury Avenue
Use the left lane.
20
Turn right onto Dempster Street
213 ft
·
9 sec
·
Dempster Street
21
Turn uturn
213 ft
·
17 sec
22
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.31 one way
$4.63 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.85 | $5.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.27 | $6.54 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.55 | $0.71 |
| Efficient EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.59 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Evanston, IL
Morning in Evanston on Saturday
Local time
9:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
43°F
Widespread Fog
ESE 5 mph
0% chance
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
28 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
28m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Evanston, IL covers 14.8 miles and takes about 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West Howard Street, Edens Expressway, North Central Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.4 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 $2.31 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 is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 14.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
The main spots that need attention: at 2.5 miles (North Central Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles (IL 50 / North Cicero Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.3 miles (West Wilson Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Evanston, IL, road signs begin pointing toward Touhy Avenue East along the way.
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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