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Road warriors: Holiday travelers kick off holiday weekend in record number
A record number of travelers are expected to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of summer.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is projecting 43.8 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday travel period, which started Thursday and runs through Monday, Memorial Day. That’s second only to 2005, when a record 44 million traveled for the holiday.
“We’re expecting nearly record amounts of people across the country, but specifically on the roadways, that’s where we’re expecting a record amount of people,” said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs for AAA. “We’ve got about 1.3 million people (projected to travel) across Pennsylvania.”
Garrity said gas prices are up slightly from last year, but that doesn’t appear to be deterring travel.
“It’s a continuation of what we’ve seen in years past,” Garrity said. “Everyone is ready to get back out. There’s more stuff available. There’s a lot of excitement. A lot of people are just ready to keep going. Every one of these holidays since the pandemic we see more and more people heading out.”
According to AAA, the average price of gasoline in Western Pennsylvania this week was $3.827 per gallon, up slightly from $3.749 at this time in 2023.
Memorial Day also marks the beginning of the “100 deadliest days of the year,” said J.J. Miller, safety adviser for AAA East Central.
“I think the roadways will be on fire,” Miller said. “People are anxious to get out, get moving around and take much needed R&R. Long holiday weekends like Memorial Day are the perfect way to kick off the summer travel season, and Americans will be traveling in record numbers. We will do our part to see that every motorist and their families arrive at their destination safely every single time.”
AAA and state police in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, as well as local law enforcement, will once again embark on Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing the number of traffic deaths on highways through education and enforcement.
“The mission on traffic safety will never be over,” said Maj. William Maitland, Area 1 commander for Pennsylvania State Police. “Each year we strive to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roadways through enforcement of traffic laws and targeting impaired drivers. Our goal is to save lives. These efforts of (current) officers and those that have come before us have saved countless lives on the highways.”
Enforcement under Operation CARE focuses on speed limits, driving under the influence violations, seat belt requirements and child restraints.
Air travel, too, will be brisk this weekend, despite a slight increase in airfares, up 1 to 2%, Garrity said.
Carl Brandtonies, owner of Worldview Travel in Washington, said he’s seen an uptick in all modes of travel, despite the increase in associated costs.
“It’s starting to pick up,” he said. “Everything (is picking up) – cruises, tours, taking trips within the U.S., Europe. There’s a lot of people going to Europe this year.”
Those who prefer to remain closer to home will enjoy the outdoor recreational amenities that Southwestern Pennsylvania offers.
Jason Theakston, director of planning in Washington County, said the summer calendar is full at the county’s three parks – Mingo Creek, Cross Creek and Ten Mile.
“We have a lot of events and educational programs coming up for anyone from preschool-age kids to seniors; there are events for everybody,” Theakston said. “Our parks department is ramping up for the opening of the season for shelter rentals. There’s a lot of graduation parties being rented out at the parks. There’s going to be people visiting the parks for those kinds of things and just for everyday recreation. There’s really a lot of options at the parks.”
Theakston said Cross Creek features a new amenity, a 500-foot free floating dock system called the “boardwalk,” along with a new bicycle trail.
Bret Moore, Greene County’s recreation director, also anticipates a busy summer season at the county’s outdoor facilities.
The recent Flashlight Drag Races at the Greene County Airport attracted about 200 racers.
“It was the largest turnout we’ve had since I took over,” Moore said. “That’s the first time since I took over that we were back to pre-COVID levels.”
Pool party bookings and pavilion rentals are also going well. The pools at Mon View Park and Waynesburg Water Park are expected to open June 1.
“Things are looking great at this point,” Moore said recently. “Pool parties are booked through the end of July at this point already. We’re doing really well. We’ve got the day camps planned and the (Greene County) fair. We’re excited.”
Barbara Wallace, environmental education specialist at Ohiopyle State Park, said the state park and its showcase Youghiogheny River Gorge and falls are busy as usual.
Wallace said the park had “crazy attendance” during the pandemic. While those numbers have dropped some, the park continues to be popular with bikers, hikers and boaters.
The Ohiopyle Trail Turn, which allows people to hike the park’s 79 miles of trails, already is off to a good start this year with more than 300 people signed up to participate. The program runs through September.
“We’re hiking every trail in the park,” Wallace said. “People can either do it guided or they can do it on their own. People are out hiking.”
Anyone interested in participating can contact Wallace at bawallace@pa.gov.
The park also offers the Youghiogheny River Sojourn.
“We’re going all the way to Cedar Creek this year,” Wallace said. “We’re doing small sections at a time. People bring their own boats. We try to do a little bit of everything for everybody. We provide interpretation about the river and the kind of towns we’re going through and a little bit of history along the way. We have people coming back year after year to do the sojourn sections with us, which is really fun.”
More information about the sojourns and Ohiopyle State Park can be found at https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/OhiopyleStatePark/Pages/default.aspx/.