Holiday Weekend Third Busiest on Record: Oregon / Washington Coast Travel

Published 05/24/23 at 6:22 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Astoria, Oregon) – Gas prices are actually less expensive than last year's holiday weekend but the bad news is everybody and their dog are heading out to get away from it all too. AAA said this Memorial Weekend will likely be the third busiest on record, which puts the Oregon coast and Washington coast right in the crosshairs for many a traffic jam as well as filled up hotel reservations. (Above: Fogarty Beach, Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

AAA said gas prices are down a whole dollar compared to last year at this time, however there has been a small bump in prices in the last week of about a dime or less. While the national average gained a penny, Oregon's price jump was about five cents more per gallon, getting to an average of $4.18.

When it comes to the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon and Washington, AAA is predicting 8.4% more people will be hitting the skyways or the highways than in 2022's holiday weekend.

Bottle Beach, Washington

Doreen Loofburrow, Senior Vice President of Travel at AAA Oregon/Idaho, said 2023's Memorial Day Weekend will likely be one for the record books, in spite of inflation. The organization has noticed travelers booking earlier this year as well.

“Air travel in particular is seeing a significant bump, even with higher airfare. AAA expects travel will remain robust all summer long,” she said.

According to Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho, they expect Oregon and Washington travel to be the third busiest since they began tracking in 2000. The years 2005 and 2019 only ranked higher.

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Along the Washington coast and Oregon coast, booking a room early was your best idea – now it's likely be too late. Check out these possibilities for Oregon's coastline availability, which may find you getting lucky last minute. However, you'll have to call as online booking may not immediately reflect cancellations.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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