Expect busy highways, and record gas prices, this Labor Day weekend, AAA says

Oregon drivers are primed to shrug off high gasoline prices and pack up the car for one last summer road trip this Labor Day holiday, officials with the auto club AAA said.

“Drivers nationally and here in Oregon will pay the highest prices ever for gas over the Labor Day holiday,” said Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho.

This year’s price at the pump in Oregon averaged $4.99 a gallon Thursday, Sept. 3, breaking the $4.74 mark set in 2023.

Still, AAA predicts a record amount of Labor Day travel, as travelers make up for increased fuel prices by cutting back on other trip expenses.

“Maybe they’ll eat out at restaurants less often or eat at more moderately priced places,” Dodds said in an interview. “They’ll camp instead of going to a resort. Maybe they’ll cut a trip short by one night or maybe they’ll look for free activities instead of doing things where there’s an admission price.”

But they’ll still be on the road, and likely in record numbers for the Labor Day holiday, Dodds said.

“We saw record travel over Memorial Day and Fourth of July, and so I would see no reason why we wouldn’t expect that for Labor Day,” Dodds said.

And that means travelers still can encounter “really busy times, whether you’re driving or flying or taking the train or heading out on a cruise, or whatever it is,” she said. Thursday, Friday and Monday are likely to be the busiest travel days.

High gas prices throughout 2026 haven’t yet put a dent in holiday travel, Dodds said — and that’s been the case since the COVID-19 pandemic began to wane.

During the pandemic, she said, “We couldn’t travel or didn’t feel it was safe to travel,” and people came to “realize that travel is not a given. … And so now people have this attitude that, ‘OK, I’m going to travel. I’m not going to miss the Labor Day getaway with my family and loved ones and we’re going to go, no matter what the gas prices are.’”

If you do go, Dodds recommends packing an emergency kit, especially with Labor Day weekend forecasts calling for wetter and cooler weather.

“Bring blankets and clothing for everybody and enough water and nonperishable snacks for everyone in your car, including your pets.”