My wife really wants to see the redwoods. We have a couple of weeks available around Christmas.

Would roads from Reno ( 44, 299 & 101) be open at that time?  Would the redwoods even be worth seeing that time of year?

Appreciate any advice.

101 is north/south on the coast - I can’t remember hearing it was closed due to snow in the 20 years I’ve lived in Sonoma county. Mud slides are a different story.....

44 & 299 could be iffy depending on the weather. Just depends.

I80 > I5 > Hwy 20 to 101 at Ukiah shouldn’t have any issues unless a massive storm closes 80 over Donner summit.

It might be a bit cold & damp at Xmas but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting the north coast & redwoods.

We toured the area just prior to Thanksgiving.  It was great!  Cool and comfortable, fewer tourists, no wait at restaurants,... If there was any down side, it was that many places were on reduced hours or closed.  The up side was the people you see and meet are mostly locals.  You get a better sense of how the locals live.

The 101 is a major highway and most, if not all, is divided and much is limited access "freeway."  It's unlikely to have serious weather related problems.  Any of the other "mountain" roads could have more serious weather impacts.  The coastal side snow is unlikely and almost never a problem.  The Sierra/Cascade side would have similar issues to Reno, temporary storm closures although 44 and 299 are at their highest points  lower than I80 over Donner and won't get that kind of snowfall nor traffic.

Generally the storm patterns are predictable so unlikely to be surprises.  Given the large numbers of fires, heavy rains can result in local flooding and mudslides in fire areas and downstream.  Aside from Big Basin, south of San Francisco, haven't heard of fires impacting the redwoods parks.  That just means they haven't made the news so smaller fires may have caused damage.  One advantage, aside from being in the rain when it's raining, is the rain wets down and cleans the foliage and trees, deepens the colors and gets rid of the dust and dirt that built up over the hot dry weather.

The 1, although along the coast, is kind of a mountain road and while almost never gets snow, can get serious damage from rains, flooding and mudslides.  It's a beautiful but slowish drive.  Also, if you consider the the northern portion of the redwoods country up around Eureka, it's redwoods and logging history dominated.  Towards the southern end, you get into the wine country.  It would be well after harvest and fall colors but has some added options for visiting wineries, tastings, restaurants, etc.

Right now, that area is impacted by fires and Covid restrictions and not sure how that will change by December.  Hopefully indoor dining, beverage service, tours, etc., will be back on.

Thanks. It sounds like its worth a tentative plan.

I had family in Laytonville when we went up there in the early 80s. That was the only time I've been there though. I figured we could at least see the Avenue of the Giants.

My wife got like a little kid when i told her we might be able to do this trip, so I'm glad it looks doable.

Thanks again

Interstate 80 will get you over the mountains unless there is short-term closure due to a blizzard.  Even then, they plow it open ASAP.

Are they worth seeing?  Oh, yes very definitely worth seeing. Weather might be rainy sloppy and some of the normally available back roads and dirt roads in the parks may not be passable.  The main roads should be available.  

In the Eureka area you need to go see Ferndale.  Mostly built at the height of the lumber boom and most of the buildings are covered with gingerbread and bright painting styles.  A fair number of houses.  Eureka itself has a lot of period houses on the hill and the downtown area.  The Carson Mansion is awesome.  Over on the peninsula is the Cookhouse at Samoa.  Meals as served to the working men at the mill.  Also the Timber Heritage Association has a roundhouse and a bunch of engines from the logging companies.    Near the end is the Coast Guard Lifesaving Stations from the good old days.  The Humboldt Bar where the bay meets the ocean might be spectacular if the weather is stormy

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park often has herds of elk, the beach is pretty awesome, most of the tossed up driftwood is more often drifttrees.  Fern Canyon may or may not be available to walk through.

Yes, Ferndale and "The Lost Coast".

Ill have to look into some of that. Thanks.

We went on a family vacation years ago in summer. Being from SW AZ I was fascinated. Might be neat to check out a few things new to both of us.

Ok. Would you guys take a vacation in this area this year or would it be prudent to take a wait and see approach?

Not trying to be too alarmist just cautious

All I know about current events in the PNW I learn from Arfcom. Don't want to be chicken little but would appreciate a "boots on the ground" assessment.

Thanks again.

I'm well south but would think about waiting till closer to travel time to make any decisions for sure.  "Inciweb" has western states fire info.  The August Complex fires is huge but mostly very low population in the area of the fire.  The LNU complex fire is in the the Napa/Sonoma region and there are some other fires as well.  My guess is by December, weather will have reduced or eliminated the fire activity but impact on the small communities is likely to still be ongoing and whether or not Covid restrictions are still in place could all work to it being less pleasant than usual??

Winter hiking in the coastal redwoods is awesome unless it's been raining heavily around that time.