A new Red Rocks Credit Union survey finds nearly 3 in 5 Coloradans are traveling less than last year, with gas the No. 1 culprit, as families trade flights for the mountains, campsites, and state parks close to home.

Ask just about anyone in Colorado how their summer is shaping up, and you'll hear some version of the same answer: the trip got shorter, the flight got cut, the campsite replaced the resort. Summer is still happening. It's just happening closer to home, on a tighter budget, with one eye on the gas pump.

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78% of Coloradans name gas prices as the No. 1 reason summer travel is harder to afford this year, according to a new survey from Red Rocks Credit Union. The survey of 300 residents found that 82% say rising costs have hit their household finances at least somewhat this year. Source: Red Rocks Credit Union Cost of Living Summer Survey, June 2026 (n=300, ±5.66% margin of error).

A new survey from Red Rocks Credit Union backs up what many Coloradans are already feeling. Of 300 residents surveyed¹ in early June, 82% say the rising cost of living has hit their household finances at least somewhat this year, and more than half (52%) say it's hit "a lot." That pressure cuts across income levels and generations. It's reaching almost everyone.

"These numbers match what we hear from members across Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties," said Darius Wise, CEO of Red Rocks Credit Union. "Coloradans aren't giving up on summer. They're getting resourceful. They're choosing the mountains over the airport and the campsite over the hotel, making real tradeoffs to do it. Our job is to understand what our members are actually up against, not what a national headline assumes, and to show up for them in ways that help.

It shows up most clearly in how Coloradans are planning, or canceling, their summer travel.

Gas is the breaking point: 78% call it the top barrier to summer travel

When Coloradans were asked what's making summer travel harder to afford, one answer stood out. 78% pointed to gas prices, well ahead of everyday expenses eating into income (65%), food and dining (55%), hotels (49%), and airfare (48%).

The survey was in the field June 2-4, just as Colorado pump prices were sitting near multi-year highs. And the pain isn't felt evenly. 85% of Gen X respondents named gas as a barrier, the highest of any age group, and a sign that the households juggling kids, commutes, and aging parents are feeling every cent at the pump.

Nearly 3 in 5 are traveling less than last summer, and 1 in 4 aren't traveling at all

The weight of those costs is reshaping the season. 59% of Coloradans say they expect to travel less than they did last summer (30% somewhat less, 29% much less), and just 13% plan to travel more.

For many, the trip isn't getting smaller. It's getting canceled. 27% say they aren't planning to travel this summer at all, and another 17% have already delayed or scrapped plans because of cost.

When they do travel, Coloradans are staying close to home

There's a brighter side to the story, and it's a very Colorado one. The people who are traveling haven't given up on summer. They're rediscovering what's in their own backyard.

The most popular trip this summer is an overnight stay within Colorado: the mountains, camping, state parks, and local getaways, chosen by 30% of respondents. That beats the 23% flying somewhere else in the U.S., and it far outpaces the 4% planning to travel internationally, underscoring how far out of reach a big trip has become for most families. When budgets tighten, Coloradans lean into the state they already love.

The squeeze isn't landing evenly

The survey also shows a widening gap between those who get to travel and those who stay home. Among households earning under $50,000, 32% aren't traveling this summer at all, compared with just 13% of those earning over $100,000. Lower-income Coloradans were also nearly three times as likely to have already canceled a trip because of cost (23% versus 8%).

There's a generational divide, too. Millennials are the most likely to sit summer out: 35% say they aren't traveling at all, versus 18% of Gen Z, a sign of how hard the squeeze is hitting younger families balancing rent, debt, and young kids.

"Seeing it in the data is one thing. Doing something about it is the job," Wise said. "We run our Skip-A-Pay program twice a year, including this summer, so members can pause a loan payment when money gets tight. We've also given our frontline teams room to step in directly when someone comes in facing a real hardship. And as these costs stretch families further, we're looking hard at what more we can do, including ideas like gas assistance, for the members and the staff feeling it most. When your neighbors are squeezed, you find ways to show up for them."

Red Rocks Credit Union will continue sharing additional findings from the survey, including how rising costs are reshaping other corners of Colorado's summer, from weddings to festivals and other summer events.

Full survey findings are available on request. Contact redrocks@maven-pr.com.

About Red Rocks Credit Union

Red Rocks Credit Union has been serving Colorado communities since 1979 with a mission to enrich lives through personalized financial solutions, compassionate service, and community leadership. Based in Littleton, Red Rocks Credit Union serves nearly 18,000 members across Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, offering both in-person support and modern digital banking tools, including a mobile app and robust online services. As a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative, Red Rocks Credit Union is committed to helping individuals and families thrive at every stage of life. The credit union's leadership has been recognized with honors, including the Titan 100 Award, as well as recognition from FinAI News and the ColoradoBiz C-Level Awards, reinforcing the credit union's trusted, community-first approach to service. For more information, visit www.redrocks.org.

¹Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted using the online platform Pollfish. A sample of 300 Colorado residents was surveyed between June 2 and June 4, 2026. The margin of error is ±5.66%, and no additional weighting was applied to the initial sample. Respondents were spread roughly evenly across Gen Z (ages 18 to 29), Millennial (30 to 45), and Gen X (46 to 61) age groups, with about 54% identifying as female and 46% as male.

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