The best and worst times for Portland Thanksgiving 2025 travel
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Photo: Courtesy of Port of Portland
It's time for Portland road and sky warriors to start thinking about Thanksgiving travel.
Why it matters: There'll be a record-breaking 82 million Americans leaving town for Thanksgiving this year, AAA predicts.
- At least 73 million people — roughly 90% of all Thanksgiving travelers — will go by car.
Yes, but: Don't expect empty airports: The FAA has lifted the flight restrictions imposed during the shutdown, and more than 6 million Americans are expected to fly domestically for Thanksgiving — more than last year.
🚗 State of play: The Portland metro's worst Turkey Day traffic will be the Friday after Thanksgiving around 4pm via southbound Interstate 5 heading to Eugene, per INRIX.
- Expect the trip to take almost two hours and 45 minutes — a 61% jump in congestion.
- Plus: The Wednesday pre-holiday will be the busiest day to snag a rental car, Hertz tells AAA.
⚠️ Pro tips for drivers: Check out traffic cameras, maps, weather conditions and a real-time list of traffic incidents before hitting the road on Trip Check.
Zoom out: Nationally, the worst times to hit the road will be Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving and the following Sunday, says INRIX.
- The best travel day: Thanksgiving itself.
✈️ Things are back to normal at Portland International Airport, which is expected to see more than 367,000 travelers pass through its terminals between Tuesday and Dec. 1, according to spokesperson Molly Prescott.
- That December Monday will be the airport's busiest, with an estimated 59,000 travelers going in and out of PDX.
🛫 Pro tips for fliers: You can't reserve parking at PDX's short-term, long-term or economy lots, but you can check capacity beforehand.