Origin
Hampshire, IL
Morning in Hampshire on Saturday
Local time
8:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Hampshire, IL to Elgin, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
25m
Distance
15.1 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 23m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Hampshire, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Hampshire to Elgin is 15.1 miles and takes about 25 minutes via U.S. Grant Memorial Highway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Illinois, moving from the Midwest region to the Midwest region. Given its brief length and local road nature, it's a straightforward drive. Consider this route when you need a quick connection between these two towns without venturing onto major highways.
About the Cities
Arriving 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 25m. Total distance: 15.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m 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
This is a turn-heavy local drive with no highway mileage to speak of. You'll be navigating primarily through local roads, with U.S. Grant Memorial Highway being the longest uninterrupted stretch at 5.4 miles. Expect frequent turns and changes in road character as you transition between different local arteries like East Oak Knoll Drive and Larkin Avenue. The drive will feel more like navigating through towns and surrounding areas rather than a continuous open road experience.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 5.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near South State Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South State Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (IL 72 / East Oak Knoll Drive): Navigation decision point; at 12.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South State Street
Turn right onto South State Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
IL 72 / East Oak Knoll Drive
Turn left onto IL 72 / East Oak Knoll Drive
Navigation decision point
6
12.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward Larkin Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward Larkin Avenue
4
14.8 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
IL 31 / North State Street
Turn right onto IL 31 / North State Street
Navigation decision point
3
14.8 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
East Chicago Street
Turn left onto East Chicago Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Grant Memorial Highway | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| East Oak Knoll Drive | 4 mi | 5m |
| Larkin Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Oak Street | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| South State Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Highway | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| West Highland Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East Chicago Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
— 5.4 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Hampshire, IL and Elgin, IL.
1
Start on West Jefferson Avenue
58 ft
·
4 sec
·
West Jefferson Avenue
2
Turn right onto South State Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South State Street
3
Turn left onto IL 72
4.0 mi
·
5 min
·
East Oak Knoll Drive
4
Continue on US 20
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
5
Continue on US 20
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Oak Street
6
Continue on US 20
3.5 mi
·
5 min
·
U.S. Grant Memorial Highway
Use the left lane.
7
Continue on US 20
0.6 mi
·
51 sec
·
Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Highway
8
Continue on US 20
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
58 sec
Toward Larkin Avenue
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10
Continue on Larkin Avenue
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Larkin Avenue
Use the straight lane.
11
Continue on West Highland Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Highland Avenue
12
Turn right onto IL 31
327 ft
·
16 sec
·
North State Street
13
Turn left onto East Chicago Street
0.3 mi
·
55 sec
·
East Chicago Street
14
Arrive at destination
East Chicago Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.36 one way
$4.72 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.59 | $5.18 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.91 | $5.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.33 | $6.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.3 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 | 4.5 | 0 | $1.59 | $0.72 |
| Efficient EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.32 | $0.60 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6 | 0 | $2.11 | $0.97 |
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
Elgin, IL
Morning in Elgin on Saturday
Local time
8:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
49°F
Partly Sunny
WNW 20 mph
7% 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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
25m 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 Hampshire, IL to Elgin, IL covers 15.1 miles and takes about 25m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are U.S. Grant Memorial Highway, East Oak Knoll Drive, Larkin Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.6 miles from Hampshire, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.36 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 straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South State Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (IL 72 / East Oak Knoll Drive): Navigation decision point; at 12.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Hampshire, IL to Elgin, 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.
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