5 Perfect Places to Whale Watch in California
Your hunt for the best whale watching destination in the United States is over! Each year, about 20,000 gray whales make an epic 12,000-mile round trip journey from the Bering Sea to Baja Peninsula, Mexico.
This annual swim makes the entire California coast a perfect place to witness one of the most amazing wildlife migrations on the planet.
Whale watching is a year-round activity in California, but during the spring, whales migrating north for the warmer months provide unique opportunities for viewing these giant creatures.
In this article, discover the five best destinations for whale watching in California. And the best part is that you can still have a fantastic viewing experience from land! No boat ride required unless you want one!
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See you over there!
I might be headed out there in the spring. Beautiful article. Thanks!
Excellent! I hope you get a chance to view these magnificent creatures.
I didn’t know whale watching was even a Thing! I do wanna do this now! Love this!
It’s most definitely a thing! 🙂
I always drool whenever I read your posts about these beautiful far away places. I love it!
Thank you Joleisa!!
I miss Cali for its scenery and everything else in between. I havent been to any of these places for whale watching except the one in Newport Beach. Not sure if they still have them.
My daughter and her family moved to San Francisco so the next time I visit, I’m trying to plan it around the whales returning to Alaska next spring.
Lovely and worth seeing places that are, love the way you captured the whole article , california is indeed love to visit <3
Sweet! I love visiting Cali now that my daughter and her young family live there.
Great article. We are planning a visit to California next summer. I hope we ae able to do some of these activities even though we are a bit off schedule.
I’m glad I could help!
Another reason to plan a trip out to Cali! What an extensive guide. Great job!
Thanks Kristin!
Great post! Now I want to do this when we go to CA! Thank you!
You’re welcome Phyllis!
We have seen whales in Alaska and Oregon. It was a peaceful experience.
That’s awesome Missy! Aren’t whales incredible creatures?
Wow! Awesome info! I’ll have to remember this for the next time I visit Cali 🙂
xo Chelsea
You’re welcome Chelsea!
I have always wanted to take my girls to do this! Nice to know there are so many places to choose from! Thank you!!
The entire west coast of the US is prime viewing areas during the late fall and winter months. Follow the typical migration patterns and you should be able to spot them.
I have done whale watching in a couple of places, but it was always via boat. love that there is no boat needed for these locations, just timing and proper equipment.
No boat required. I love that too as it certainly lowers the cost of a whale watching day trip.
I would love to go whale watching – it is definitely on my list of must-do’s. My daughter is a huge whale lover so I need to make sure she comes along!
Absolutely! I can’t wait for my next trip to San Francisco to visit my second grandbaby. I’m doing my best to plan it for prime SF whale watching season.
I have always wanted to go whale watching in California!
Me too, Stephanie, me too!
Oh wow! This is so beautiful ♡. It would be magnificent to visit each of them places and go see the whales ^^. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!!
I’ve gone in San Diego and it was such an amazing trip! I would recommend it to anyone. And I couldn’t agree more to go during the winter migration.
Very nice Janine! Seeing the whales is amazing!
I didn’t know you could watch whales from the shore! My daughter just moved out to California for college and I’m definitely adding this to my bucket list! Thanks for sharing!
Yes, there are locations where the whales can be seen from shore!
Thank you for the detailed information about where to go for whale watching. I had no idea that you could see whales from Cabrillo Mounment area! I’ll need to visit again and try to spot the whales. I get terribly seasick on a boat so being able to see the whales from land would be a huge treat for me.
Yes! I’m glad I could help!
I have done a whale watching before off of Newport Beach and it was so cool to be right next to such large and majestic creatures!
Seeing the whales is an amazing sight!