Memorial Day 2022: When’s The Best Time To Get Out Of Town In Arizona

ARIZONA — Memorial Day might mark the unofficial start to summer for much of the rest of the country, but it's already been hot to sizzling in southern Arizona for a while.

And while Phoenix is not a top Memorial Day travel destination, for obvious reasons, locals will still hit the road to head to poolside gatherings or up to the mountains for some relief from the heat.

Even with gas at a steep $4.59 a gallon on average in Arizona as of Friday, many locals are expected to head out on the road this holiday. On average it was $5.22 per gallon in Maricopa County Friday and $4.48 in Pima County.

Americans across the country are expected to resurrect the great Memorial Day road trip, with travel on U.S. roadways expected to reach 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the AAA Memorial Day Travel Forecast.

The travel group said about 35 million people will be competing for space on highways over the long holiday weekend, which begins Thursday and ends Monday, the official Memorial Day holiday and a day off for many Americans. In all, about 39.2 million people plan Memorial Day excursions.

In general, the worst and best times to get out of town are (all times local):

Thursday

• Worst times: 1-8 p.m.
• Best times: before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

Friday

• Worst times: noon to 7 p.m.
• Best times: before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

Saturday

• Worst times: 1-6 p.m.
• Best times: before 10 a.m.

Sunday

• Worst times: 1-4 p.m.
• Best times: before 10 a.m.

Monday

• Worst times: 1-4 p.m.
• Best times: before 11 a.m.

Although travel is bouncing back, Americans’ wanderlust has been curbed to some extent by the highest inflation in four decades — especially for gas, food, lodging and airfare. While travel is expected to increase 8.3 percent over 2021, that’s only 93 percent of the travel volume in 2019, AAA said.

Also this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA:

• The overwhelming majority of Americans — 35 million people — will travel on the nation’s highways, as is traditionally the case.

• Memorial Day air travel will be the highest since 2011, with about 3 million people — or about 7.7 percent of holiday travelers — expected to get on airplanes. That’s a 25 percent increase over 2021, when many since-lifted COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

• The number of people who plan to travel by bus or train, or take a cruise, is expected to triple this year to 1.3 million people.