Lauren Hillquist figures he may have to skip five-star restaurants to save a few bucks when he pulls his 39-foot trailer through Colorado.
Although the price of gasoline is expected to climb near $3 a gallon this summer, the Arizona retiree and his wife, Barbara, haven’t given a thought to canceling the trip in their truck-and-trailer rig that averages 8 to 9 miles a gallon.
“I’ll find other ways to save on the money,’ said Hillquist, 64. “We’ll spend more time going to whatever, Pizza Hut, or we’ll find other ways to cut back.
“Three dollars? No, I’d still travel. Three and a half? Probably still travel. We may change, instead of going 10 weeks, we may go six weeks,’ he said. “But we won’t quit doing it.’
Travelers and travel experts say they still expect a busy tourism season across the West this spring and summer, but the high gas prices will have an effect – through shorter stays, smaller trips and fewer purchases.
Betty Bliler, who owns Gil’s Trading Post in Livingston, Mont., near Yellowstone National Park, is more concerned about gas prices than the potential for wildfires. Business, she says, is starting to pick up, but “I have no idea what the summer could bring.’
As a result of rising crude-oil prices, the average price of regular unleaded gas has climbed 28 percent since January, with the nationwide average at $2.24 a gallon Monday – up 42.4 cents from the same day in 2004, according to an Energy Department forecast.
Nationwide, prices are forecast to average $2.28 for a gallon of unleaded regular this summer, 38 cents higher than last year. The price is expected to peak at $2.35 next month but not drop below $2 a gallon.
The agency does not compile forecasts on regional levels.
Price is important in the West, where traveling by car, van or RV is the most popular way to see the sights, be it whale-watching off the coast of Washington state, kayaking in Colorado’s rivers or watching the geysers in Yellowstone.
More AAA members are asking about gas prices, with travelers opting for alternatives such as more frequent trips at shorter distances or staying fewer days, said Mary Greer of the association’s Colorado branch.
Representatives of several national parks, including Utah’s Zion, Yellowstone and Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, say history has shown that gas prices don’t usually prompt visitors to cancel their trips.
At Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado, everyone has to drive to visit the park’s ancient Anasazi ruins.
“Last year as gas prices increased, we didn’t see a decline in our visitation. In fact, we had a slight increase,’ park spokeswoman Tessy Shirakawa said. “As long as we don’t have any dramatic or traumatic fire seasons, which we have experienced in the past, we hope to see a continued incremental increase in visitation each year.’
