Origin
Elmwood Park, IL
Morning in Elmwood Park on Saturday
Local time
8:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
20.6 mi
33 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elmwood Park, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Palatine, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL covers 20.6 miles and takes about 33m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West Belden Avenue, North 73rd Avenue, West Fullerton Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.22 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 33m. Total distance: 20.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 33m drive with frequent turns across 20.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 23 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
West Belden Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL is easy. At 33m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Belden Avenue | — | — |
| North 73rd Avenue | — | — |
| West Fullerton Avenue | — | — |
| 73rd Avenue | — | — |
| West Grand Avenue | — | — |
| North Thatcher Avenue | — | — |
| North Cumberland Avenue | — | — |
| West Montrose Avenue | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
West Belden Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elmwood Park, IL and Palatine, IL.
1
Start on the route
187 ft
·
16 sec
·
the route
2
Turn right onto West Belden Avenue
174 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
144 ft
·
6 sec
·
West Fullerton Avenue
5
Turn right onto 73rd Avenue
361 ft
·
16 sec
·
73rd Avenue
6
Turn left onto West Grand Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
West Grand Avenue
7
Turn right onto North Thatcher Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Thatcher Avenue
8
Continue on North Cumberland Avenue
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Cumberland Avenue
9
Turn left onto West Montrose Avenue
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
West Montrose Avenue
10
Continue on North East River Road
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
North East River Road
11
Turn left onto West Higgins Road
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
West Higgins Road
12
Take the ramp right toward I 90 Toll West
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
I 90 Toll West
13
Merge slight left onto Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
8.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
14
Take the exit slight right toward IL 53 North, IL 53 South, I 290 East: West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
IL 53 North, IL 53 South, I 290 East: West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs
15
Keep slight right to continue on IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs, Rolling Meadows
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
IL 53 North: Northwest Suburbs, Rolling Meadows
16
Merge slight left
1.1 mi
·
1 min
17
Take the exit slight right toward Kirchoff Road
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
Kirchoff Road
18
Turn left onto Kirchoff Road
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
Kirchoff Road
19
Turn right onto West Frontage Road
400 ft
·
9 sec
·
West Frontage Road
20
Continue on Hicks Road
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Hicks Road
21
Turn left onto East Northwest Highway
0.3 mi
·
55 sec
·
East Northwest Highway
22
Turn left onto East Palatine Road
72 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Palatine Road
23
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.22 one way
$6.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.54 | $7.07 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.96 | $7.93 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.55 | $9.10 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.16 | $0.99 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.80 | $0.82 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Palatine, IL
Morning in Palatine on Saturday
Local time
8:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
50°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
21 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
33m 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 Palatine, IL covers 20.6 miles and takes about 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West Belden Avenue, North 73rd Avenue, West Fullerton Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.3 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 $3.22 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.
The drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL is easy. At 33m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Elmwood Park, IL to Palatine, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Palatine, IL
More trips to Palatine, IL
Explore more options from Elmwood Park, IL or browse trips ending in Palatine, IL.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IL road trips.