One of the best things about a stay on the central Oregon coast is that whale watching is often as simple as looking up from the beach. Gray whales travel this stretch of coastline in the thousands, and with a little timing you have an excellent chance of seeing a spout, a fluke, or a barnacled back breaking the surface.
There are two big migrations each year. In late December, around 18,000 gray whales head south toward Baja — the peak falls right around the week between Christmas and New Year's. Then in late March, they come back north with their calves, hugging the shore even closer as they go. Oregon celebrates both with Whale Watch Week, when trained volunteers set up at lookout points up and down the coast to help you spot them.
The real secret, though, is summer. A group of roughly 200 'resident' gray whales skips the long trip to Alaska and feeds just offshore from about mid-June through mid-November — which means you can watch whales on a warm, calm day, not only in the winter surf. Depoe Bay, a short drive south of Lincoln City, calls itself the whale-watching capital of the Oregon coast, with a free Whale Watching Center right on the seawall and boat tours that head out from the world's smallest navigable harbor.
To spot them yourself: pick a clear day, find a high vantage point or an ocean-view deck, bring binoculars, and scan the horizon slowly for the puff of a spout — that's usually what you see first. Early morning, when the water is calm, tends to be best.
Many of our homes look straight out at the water, so you can pour a coffee, step onto the deck, and start scanning without leaving the house. Browse our ocean-view homes and plan your whale-watching escape.