Experts are predicting a Memorial Day travel boom, with Colorado being one of the most popular destinations in the country.
Denver has the second highest demand for rental cars over the three-day weekend, according to AAA. Orlando takes first place. Colorado's capital ranks sixth in the nation when hotel bookings and flights are combined with car rental statistics.
Much of that volume comes from people arriving at Denver International Airport and using the city as a launching point to travel throughout the Mountain West.
Nearly 44 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home for Memorial Day, a 4% increase from last year, according to AAA. More than 38 million people are expected to travel by car, the highest number ever recorded since AAA began tracking vacation data in 2000.
If you want to avoid the worst of Colorado traffic, don't drive south on I-25 between Fort Collins and Denver on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. Travel time will be 56% longer than usual, according to AAA.
People are planning trips even as inflation continues to bite, although not as bad as in recent years. In fact, hotel rooms cost about 5% less than during last year's holiday weekend, according to AAA data. Still, the average price for a round-trip domestic flight over the holiday weekend is $778, up 2 percent from last year.
Memorial Day is the official kickoff to summer road trips – and rising gas prices. The state average for a gallon of gas in Colorado is currently $3.35. Last year it was $3.47 per gallon. Gas prices in Colorado fell significantly this winter, helping to lower the state's overall inflation rate. This situation is likely to reverse as warm weather sets in.
“Drivers should expect continued volatility at the pump as the summer driving season gets underway,” Skyler McKinley, a spokesperson for AAA Colorado, said in the report.
