Mountain states expect biggest July 4 travel

DENVER – AAA Colorado is forecasting that the mountain states region of the nation, which includes Colorado, will see the biggest travel over the July 4 holiday weekend with 11.8 percent of the region’s population expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home.

Despite the ongoing recession and rising gas prices, that’s about 1.2 percent more than took such a trip during last year’s Independence Day weekend. Nationwide, the number of holiday travelers is expected to be down by 1.9 percent from 2008.

AAA Colorado said residents of mountain states – which include Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah – are benefiting from a relatively low unemployment rate compared to the rest of the nation, which means holiday travel plans are least affected.

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