Anchorage Daily News

WASHINGTON -- As gas prices hit a new high Saturday, Americans were seen cutting back on travel over the holiday weekend.

The national average for regular unleaded gas was $4.103 on Saturday, up almost 3 percent from a month ago and up 39 percent from last year, according to the American Automobile Association's Fuel Gauge Report. With such heady fuel costs, AAA estimates that the number of Americans traveling during the Fourth of July holiday travel period fell for the first time this decade.

"A large majority of Americans are traveling this weekend, but they are just not going to go quite as far," said Christie Hyde, AAA spokeswoman.

"If gas prices continue to (rise), it wouldn't be surprising if that (decline) happened again."

AAA expects that about 40 million Americans are traveling during the July 4 holiday weekend, down 1.3 percent from last year. It's the first Independence Day weekend on which Americans are paying more than $4 a gallon for gasoline.

Gas prices are highest in Alaska, where $4.59 will buy a gallon of regular unleaded. Other pricey states are California, where a gallon costs $4.57, and Hawaii, at $4.45. The state with the cheapest gas is South Carolina, where a gallon costs $3.90. Other cheaper states are Missouri, where gas costs $3.91 a gallon, and Minnesota, where it costs $3.95.

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