When people travel to other destinations to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, not all of them wait until the last minute to get out of town.

“They started coming in on Wednesday, and that’s normal,” Clinton State Park manager Jerry Schecher said of holiday campers.

By the time the last of them start leaving late Monday, at least 20,000 people may have visited the park, Schecher said.

“It’s kind of hard to put a number on it, but it’s going to be a good crowd,” he said.

Likewise on the other side of Clinton Lake, where the Army Corps of Engineers maintains campgrounds. About 40,000 to 50,000 people are expected over the weekend, manager Lew Ruona said. All of the campsites have been spoken for.

“The swimming beach should be very popular with the 90-degree heat,” Ruona said.

The high temperatures today through Monday in Lawrence are expected to range from 90 degrees to 93 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Rain chances are no more than 20 percent over the weekend, forecasters said.

Clinton Lake campgrounds were getting full Friday, as vacationers like Robin Breit, of Lawrence, and her two dogs, Poppy and Ginny, got out of town for some fun and relaxation on Memorial Day.

Boaters, fishers and people wanting to have a picnic at Perry Lake are welcome, but campsites were all taken by Friday, park resources manager Bunny Watkins said. A crowd of up to 60,000 people was expected, she said.

Despite high gasoline prices, the number of travelers throughout the country is expected to be higher this Memorial Day weekend than last year’s, according to the American Automobile Assn. An estimated 37.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more. Most – 84 percent – will go in a motor vehicle. That would be a 0.7 percent increase over the number of people using cars for travel this weekend in 2005, AAA said.

“Families may travel closer to home or for fewer days, but they will continue to take vacations and plan getaways,” said AAA Travel vice president Sandra Hughes.

On Friday, the nationwide average price of a gallon of unleaded gas was $2.86, AAA records showed. In the Lawrence-Kansas City area it was $2.66. A year ago, the price of gas in Lawrence averaged $1.96.

About 4.3 million people will travel by plane, according to AAA estimates. That would be an increase of 1.9 percent over last year’s holiday weekend.

At Kansas City International Airport, between 135,000 and 140,000 people were expected to arrive and depart through the terminals, spokesman Joe McBride said.

The cost of travel in general this weekend is higher than last year. AAA’s Leisure Travel Index shows the cost of air travel to be about 10 percent more than last year while hotel rates are up 5 percent.

The biggest increase in travel costs, however, will be found in rental car rates. Their prices are up 19 percent, which adds about $6 to the average daily rate, the AAA index showed.

Lakes and their campgrounds aren’t the only popular locations for people looking to get away from home for a few days. The KOA Campground north of Lawrence, where there are about 70 campsites, was nearly full Friday.

In addition, many people were calling KOA to join planned canoe trips on the Kansas River between Lecompton and Lawrence, organized by the Kansas River Co. About 30 people were expected to participate.

“There’s going to be a lot of people floating on the Kansas River,” said KOA employee Pat Wogan.

Federal and state park officials urged campers, boaters and other visitors to practice caution and safety. Water patrols will be out.

“Everybody needs to be aware that alcohol and driving a boat don’t mix, and they will be pulling people over for that,” Watkins said.

“Use common sense. It only takes one incident to cause a tragedy,” Ruona said.