Jun 29, 2026 - Travel

Best times to travel to avoid July 4 holiday traffic in D.C.

Cuneyt Dil

Cars driving in traffic on a D.C. highway — Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The worst holiday traffic is predicted to be between D.C. and Annapolis on Friday, July 3rd, at 12:45pm, per AAA's prediction.

The big picture: About 77.2 million Americans will travel for July 4th this year, with 85% of people expected to drive amid high gas prices.

By the numbers: AAA advises leaving before noon on Wednesday and Thursday, and before 11am on Friday.

The worst time to travel by car on July 4 will be between 10am and 2pm.
On Sunday, the day after, it's best to travel before 11am as traffic will peak between noon and 6pm.

By the numbers: Car and air travel are estimated to be roughly flat compared to last year.

Driving the slight overall travel bump from last year is cruise vacations, which continues to increase in popularity.

The bottom line: "While the overall number of Independence Day travelers appears to be plateauing, we're still expecting record volumes this year," says Stacey Barber of AAA Travel.

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Best times to travel to avoid July 4 holiday traffic in D.C.

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