My family just returned from Montana with a report on the price of gasoline. Montanans are only paying around $3.19 per gallon for gas.

Meanwhile, our fees in Idaho continue to climb, approaching almost 4 dollars per gallon. If you buy the ethanol-free, you're paying well over 4 dollars per gallon. According to AAA in a release, regular gasoline is currently selling for around $3.93 in the Treasure Valley and $3.90 in the Magic Valley. Both areas could hit the $4 mark as early as this week.

How high will they go?

"Typically, people start making adjustments to their driving habits when the price hits the $3.50 mark, but we suspected that some travelers would be very determined this year and that their pain threshold might be a little higher than usual," says AAA Idaho spokesman Matthew Conde. "Unfortunately, rising prices are reaching a point where some families may not have enough room in the budget for a vacation without making sacrifices in other areas."

When the price of gas goes up, everything follows. Idahoans are paying more for anything involving transportation. Have you noticed the cost of goods continues to rise in Idaho and across the country? It appears there is no current reason for gas prices to begin to fall. Some analyst predict that the end of the summer driving season will ease demand burdens. As we've reported in the past, no Idaho politician has ever proposed a solution to our continued gasoline crisis.

Today, Idaho's average price is $3.79, which is five cents more than a week ago and 32 cents more than a month ago. The national average currently sits at $3.18, which is just two cents more than a week ago and five cents more than a month ago.

“It’s not unheard of for Idaho’s average price to be 20 or 30 cents higher than the national average, but 61 cents is a big gap by any standard,” Conde said.

Idaho and other Western Stays

Idaho joins neighboring states Utah and Wyoming in skyrocketing gas prices, primarily as a result of strong fuel demand and tight supplies. According to the Energy Information Administration’s latest report, the Rockies region’s gasoline stocks are currently under six million barrels, about 1.5 million barrels less than a year ago.

Today, crude oil is trading near $71 per barrel, which is $4 less than a month ago, and $30 more than a year ago. While members of OPEC recently approved a modest increase in production (an additional 400,000 barrels per day beginning in August), it was well short of expectations. If the price of crude remains high, it will continue to put upward pressure on gas prices.

Statewide Gas Prices

Boise - $3.93

Coeur d’Alene - $3.42

Franklin - $3.88

Idaho Falls - $3.78

Lewiston - $3.48

Pocatello - $3.77

Twin Falls - $3.90

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

LOOK: Here are 25 ways you could start saving money today

These money-saving tips—from finding discounts to simple changes to your daily habits—can come in handy whether you have a specific savings goal, want to stash away cash for retirement, or just want to pinch pennies. It’s never too late to be more financially savvy. Read on to learn more about how you can start saving now. [From: 25 ways you could be saving money today]