Travel in and around Montana has largely been a last-minute decision this year, and that trend probably will continue into the Fourth of July weekend, said Sarah Lawlor of Travel Montana, the state's tourism office.

Hotels, particularly those in Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, have had increased walk-in traffic, an unusual phenomenon because people generally book hotel stays in advance, Lawlor said.

"The last few months, travel has been really good in the state," she said. "We do anticipate travel to be stronger with July 4 travel."

AAA predicts Fourth of July travel to increase by 1.2 percent from last year in the Mountain West. That is an exception to the predicted national decrease of 1.9 percent, to 37.1 million travelers, said Brandi Okeyo, public affairs coordinator with AAA.

The mountain state region consists of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona. These states, with a combined population of 21.9 million, have a lower unemployment rate, hence, the expected increase in holiday travel, Okeyo said.

"Right now it's a great time to travel if you do have the money, because cruise lines and airlines have lowered their prices," she said. "People shouldn't be afraid."

The expected round-trip distance traveled for mountain states residents is 662 miles for the Fourth of July, Okeyo said.

"Typically, Montana and other mountain states do travel farther than most people because we're more dependent on cars versus the more metropolitan areas," Okeyo said.

Gas prices have increased since Memorial Day, but they went down last week, Okeyo said.

Around Memorial Day, gas prices in Montana, close to national averages, were $2.46 per gallon. As of Thursday, gas cost $2.72 a gallon, but was significantly less than the $4.07 a gallon it cost last year around July 4.

People curtailed their travel in Montana when gas prices hit $4 per gallon, Lawlor said.

In Montana, keeping gas prices lower than $3 per gallon can maintain holiday travel, especially since 90 percent of nonresident visitors drive to the state, Lawlor said.

"The one really strong benefit that we have going into the Fourth of July this year is gas prices are tremendously lower than last year," Lawlor said.