Origin
Itasca, IL
Morning in Itasca on Saturday
Local time
6:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Itasca, 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
27m
Distance
17.3 mi
28 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 25m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Itasca, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Elgin, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Itasca, IL to Elgin, IL is 17.3 miles and takes about 27 minutes via West Lake Street and Elgin-O'Hare Tollway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within the Midwest region, specifically within Illinois, offering a straightforward local connection. Expect a route that involves frequent turns rather than long stretches of highway. Given its short distance and duration, it's an ideal trip for a single day, allowing for flexibility in your schedule.
About the Cities
Starting in Itasca, IL
Full guide →Itasca is a city in Illinois.
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 27m. Total distance: 17.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This trip is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with 0% highway share, meaning you won't be on major interstates. You'll encounter a series of local roads, including West Lake Street, the Elgin-O'Hare Tollway, and Villa Street. The longest single stretch without a turn is 5.2 miles on West Lake Street, so be prepared for frequent adjustments to your steering. This isn't a route for cruising; it requires attention to navigation and local traffic patterns.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 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 5.2 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 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near East Division 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 17.3 miles you will encounter 11 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 (East Division Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.5 miles (Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles (IL 390 / Elgin-O'Hare Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 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
|
East Division Street
Turn left onto East Division Street
Navigation decision point
6
2.5 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road
Turn left onto Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road toward Meacham Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward Meacham Road
5
3.7 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
IL 390 / Elgin-O'Hare Tollway
Merge onto IL 390 / Elgin-O'Hare Tollway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
8.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
US 20 / Lake Street
Turn right onto US 20 / Lake Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
17.3 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
East Chicago Street
Turn left onto East Chicago Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Lake Street | 5.2 mi | 6m |
| Elgin-O'Hare Tollway | 4.9 mi | 6m |
| Villa Street | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| North Rohlwing Road | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| West Irving Park Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Lake Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| East Division Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
West Lake Street
— 5.2 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Itasca, IL and Elgin, IL.
1
Start on Arlington Heights Road
10 ft
·
4 sec
·
Arlington Heights Road
2
Turn left onto East Division Street
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
East Division Street
3
Turn left onto North Walnut Street
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
North Walnut Street
4
Turn right onto IL 19
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West Irving Park Road
5
Turn right onto IL 53
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
North Rohlwing Road
6
Turn left onto Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road
Toward Meacham Road
Use the left lane.
7
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
this road
Toward IL 390 West
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
8
Merge onto IL 390
4.9 mi
·
6 min
·
Elgin-O'Hare Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto US 20
0.6 mi
·
43 sec
·
Lake Street
Use the right lane.
10
Continue on US 20
5.2 mi
·
6 min
·
West Lake Street
11
Continue on US 20
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
12
Turn slight left onto Villa Street
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Villa Street
Toward Villa Street
Use the slight left lane.
13
Turn left
311 ft
·
28 sec
14
Turn left onto East Chicago Street
117 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Chicago Street
15
Arrive at destination
East Chicago Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.70 one way
$5.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.97 | $5.94 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.33 | $6.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.82 | $7.64 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.35
Elgin-O'Hare Tollway
(4.9 mi)
$0.35
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.82 | $0.83 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.11 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Elgin, IL
Morning in Elgin on Saturday
Local time
6:49 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
27m 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 Itasca, IL to Elgin, IL covers 17.3 miles and takes about 27m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are West Lake Street, Elgin-O'Hare Tollway, Villa Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.7 miles from Itasca, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.70 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 17.3 miles you will encounter 11 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 (East Division Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.5 miles (Elgin-O'Hare Frontage Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles (IL 390 / Elgin-O'Hare Tollway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Itasca, IL to Elgin, 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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