Spring Whale Watching Week

Join Oregon Park Rangers and volunteers along the Oregon Coast during the last week of March and the last week of December each year as they look for gray whales on their annual migration. Volunteers are stationed at 24 locations from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM each day.

Whale watching is a year-round activity all along the Coast, although the first week of spring and the last week in December (during Winter Whale Watching Week) are a couple of the best times to spot these massive sea mammals. People flock to choice spots with their eyes glued to the waves in hopes of glimpsing pods of gray whales migrating south.

Oregon State Parks tracks the number of whale sightings and visitors at each location, so you can determine which spots have the most whales passing through, and also which locations get crowded.

If you’re a die-hard whale fan, and not content to simply sit at the coast with a pair of binoculars, there’s a great option for you: become a whale watching volunteer!

Via Whale Watching Spoken Here, one can join hundreds of volunteers posted at the 24 locations along the coast who help visitors spot whales and learn more about them. It’s free, but involves a weekend of training to brush up on whale knowledge, and learn the ins-and-outs of supporting the thousands of visitors who pour into Oregon to see the gray whales.

One great location to watch for whales and talk to experts is the Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center at 119 S Hwy 101, Depoe Bay.

You can learn more at https://whalespoken.wordpress.com/. There you can get a full list of viewing locations and keep up with the current whale count!

You can ask about whale watching volunteering by emailing the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department at

whale.watching@state.or.us.

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Region(s):
Central Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Greater Portland
The Gorge + Mt. Hood
Oregon Coast
Southern Oregon
Willamette Valley